California, United States

At least three people have been killed and millions of others have been placed under flood alerts as a powerful storm fueled by an atmospheric river brought heavy rain and flooding to parts of the US state of California on Monday (Feb 5). 

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California storms turn deadly

One person was killed on Sunday (Feb 4) after a tree fell on a home in Boulder Creek, said the Santa Cruz county sheriff’s office, reported KSBW. According to the police, one person was trapped in the house and died on the scene, while the other managed to escape. 

Officials in Yuba City, around 160 kilometres from San Francisco said that they were investigating the death of a man found under a big redwood tree in his backyard Sunday evening. Meanwhile, another one was found dead in Sacramento. 

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Firefighters have responded to over 130 flooding incidents, 49 mud and debris flows and extinguished half a dozen structure fires, said Los Angeles Fire Department Chief Kristin Crowley, on Monday. 

She added that the fire officials have also conducted several water rescues for stranded motorists since the storm began this weekend. 

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The state officials have also issued evacuation orders for residents in several counties, including Los Angeles and Santa Barbara. 

State of Emergency

California Governor Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency in eight counties with a combined population of more than 20 million people. 

The governor’s office said emergency services have activated its operations centre and placed personnel and equipment in areas most at risk.

“California is ready with a record number of emergency assets on the ground to respond to the impacts of this storm,” said Newsom. Additionally, two counties have declared their own states of emergency.

Millions placed under alert

About 1.4 million people in the Los Angeles area which includes Hollywood Hills and Beverly Hills were under a flash flood warning on Monday morning. 

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According to the National Weather Service (NWS), the area had already seen up to 23 centimetres of rain, with more expected in the upcoming on Tuesday. 

The NWS also warned that flash flooding and the threat of mudslides “a particularly dangerous situation” in Los Angeles which also saw its third wettest day for February since 1877 on Sunday. 

On Monday, more than half a million homes and businesses were without power across California according to data from PowerOutage.us. This is the second time that the so-called Pineapple Express weather system, or atmospheric river storm, has hit the US state in the past week.

(With inputs from agencies)