Death toll rises to 14 as thousands evacuate: NPR
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A 5-year-old boy was swept away by floodwaters as another powerful storm hit California on Monday to local media and Related press.
A search for the boy was called off after seven hours because of dangerous water levels.
The boy’s mother was driving a truck around 7:50 a.m. near San Miguel, a central town about 35 miles from the coast. Travis Craig said the car got stuck in flood water while trying to cross a river. Cal Fire San Luis Obispo County Fire Battalion Commander, in a video interview with local media.
The mother escaped the truck with the help of bystanders, but the boy was swept downstream. A flash flood warning was then issued for the area.
NPR did not receive a response to requests for confirmation from local governments, including Cal Fire and the California Highway Patrol.
A search for the boy involving 17 firefighters, professional divers and a helicopter found only the boy’s shoe. local media reported. He has yet to be declared dead.
More than 200,000 residents lost power
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Elsewhere in the state, two people were killed by fallen trees on Monday, bringing the total number of deaths from recent storms to 14. based on Related press.
As of Tuesday morning, more than 200,000 residents no electricity after high wind speed causing trees to fall on power lines. School Counties across the state are closed when the creeks overflowed, turning the roads into rivers of debris.
Parts of the drought-stricken state saw up to 1 inch of rain per hour on Monday, National Weather Service said.
Evacuation orders are underway in Montecito and Santa Cruz
More than 10,000 people were ordered to evacuate in the rich land of Montecito, home to celebrities like Oprah and Prince Harry.
Scars from recent wildfires are still visible in the canyons surrounding the community. Monday’s evacuation order was issued on the fifth anniversary of a landslide killing 23 people in the area.
Comedian and Montecito resident Ellen DeGeneres Post a video of the damage on social mediasays she was asked to shelter in place because her home is on higher ground.
“This is crazy,” she said, rotating the camera to show the rushing water. “The creek next to our house never overflows. It’s probably about nine feet high and it will rise another two feet.”
Montecito is under mandatory evacuation. We were on higher ground so they asked us to shelter in place. Everyone please stay safe. pic.twitter.com/7dv5wfNSzG
– Ellen DeGeneres (@EllenDeGeneres) January 9, 2023
In Los Angeles, four people escaped after a sinkhole swallowed two cars on Monday night, local media reported. Another sinkhole in Santa Barbara caused a road closure affecting 500 homes.
In Santa Cruz County, 250 miles north, About 32,000 residents were ordered to evacuate after the San Lorenzo River was declared in flood stage. Photos taken from the area show houses and cars jutting out like islands over the murky brown water.
President biden issued an emergency declaration on Monday to bring federal support to relief efforts in more than a dozen counties.
More storms expected for Tuesday and Wednesday
Photos Justin Sullivan/Getty
This week marks the third time in a row that storms have not stopped ravaging the coastal nation. Nearly all of California has seen average total precipitation 400-600% higher than their mean, The National Weather Service said.
The NWS is still warning of a relentless onslaught of atmospheric rivers, which are likely to bring another rain to Southern California on Tuesday.
Los Angeles can see up to 7 inches. The Bay Area should Be prepared for high wind speeds and pea-sized hail.
The NWS said another cataclysm is expected to hit northern parts of the state on Wednesday, with snowfall in the Sierra Nevada mountains increasing the risk of avalanches.