Even as floodwaters recede in California, several regions brace for more storms

Floodwaters are receding in parts of northern California after the region was slammed by a powerful weather system called an "atmospheric river" that brought heavy rain to the region.Social media video showed overturned and submerged vehicles pushed off the road as the water receded following the weekend storm. Residents had evacuated and moved to higher ground after the first levee failed on Saturday. At least two levee failures were reported near Wilton in Sacramento County.

Meanwhile, Sacramento witnessed strong winds and rains due to a severe storm, causing serious damage on New Year's eve. Footage filmed by Sacramento resident Andrew Hughan showed the aftermath of the deluge. Enormous trees were uprooted by the powerful storm blocking roads and crushing houses and cars.

“The rain was torrential all day, and the power went out in our house in the evening,” he said. “We went for a walk in the morning and saw the devastation.”

The impact of the next storm could be “brutal” and will likely include flooding, downed trees, power outages, and the likely loss of human life, warned the National Weather Service (NWS).

People have been asked to prepare for power outages or road closures that could last several days, said the NWS.

Over the weekend, fast-moving floodwaters could be seen covering farmland as water flowed towards communities south-west of Wilton. Flooding caused by heavy rainfall had inundated major roads and infrastructure across California. As of Sunday, some areas in San Francisco had accumulated over five inches (12.7 cm) of rainfall, local media reported.

"We were just trying to get home New Year's morning and didn't realize that this whole area was submerged. Figured we have a truck, we should be able to get through some little puddles, which ended up being a very large amount of water and we, the truck lost traction. It floated," a resident told Reuters.

"Luckily, it perched on something, I'm not sure what It what it really perched on, allowed us to stay on top. We waited on top of the vehicle for what felt like a couple of hours. EMS (Emergency Medical Services) saved us," he said.

(With inputs from agencies)

WATCH WION LIVE HERE