Crews at the 95th Academy Awards on Sunday struggled to clean up water that had leaked from the Dolby Theater ceiling before celebrities arrived on the new champagne-colored carpet after weeks of devastating storms.
On Sunday afternoon, water could be seen dripping through the red curtains that serve as a ceiling for the glitzy event and onto the carpet, where actors, directors and producers will soon pose for photos.
Members of the academy’s drip control team tried to alleviate the puddles forming on the red curtains with giant poles, ABC 7 reports, before setting up buckets to catch the drip. Fortunately, the champagne carpet was covered in advance of the event.
But isolated storms may continue until 8 p.m. when the star-studded event begins, after parts of California have already received up to 13 inches of rain, flooding roads and killing two people.
Even wilder weather is now expected to be seen in the coming days, with flood and high wind watches in place for the entire San Francisco Bay Area and Central Coast beginning Monday evening and continuing through Wednesday. Then another storm will likely follow.
The no longer red carpet was flooded ahead of the 95th Annual Academy Awards
People are seen here carrying umbrellas along the Hollywood Walk of Fame while a worker makes final preparations for the Oscars
Persistent storms have caused major flooding across California. The Hollywood Walk of Fame is seen here on Saturday drenched by floodwater
Isolated storms continued on Sunday and are expected to worsen Monday night
Rain and snow battered much of California Friday in the 10th atmospheric river storm of the winter, forcing statewide highway closures and one of its main dams to open its spillway for the first time in nearly four years.
More than 9,000 California residents were under evacuation orders, confirmed California Office of Emergency Services director Nancy Ward.
She also indicated that two more deaths from the past few weeks have been confirmed to have been caused by this catastrophic weather, bringing the confirmed death toll from the weeks of persistent storms to 16.
More than 50 others had to be rescued by first responders and the California National Guard in recent days.
Monterey County was the state’s worst-hit area as it fell with up to 13 inches of rain on Friday.
The rain topped the 10-inch mark in Santa Cruz County, where a rain-filled creek destroyed part of Main Street in Soquel — a town of 10,000 — and isolated several neighborhoods.
Crews were working to clear trees and other debris and find a way for people to cross the creek, county officials said.
There were also flash floods in Kernville, another town in the foothills of Kern County. Officials said there had been no reports of casualties or calls for rescue as of Friday afternoon, but the river, known to locals as the “Killer Kern,” continued to rise.
The flood was captured in stunning video showing it overtaking homes as officials warned people in Springville they were facing “catastrophic life-threatening” flooding.
Evacuations were ordered in nearby Watsonville, where creek water spilled and filled streets with several feet of water, threatening dozens of homes with flooding. In one home, chickens perched on a perch near the roof in a backyard coop to avoid water.
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: It started raining on Friday as preparations for the Oscars began
STRATHMORE, CALIFORNIA: Parts of Northern California received over a foot of rain on Friday. Here you can see a flooded farm
KERNILLE, CALIFORNIA: Playground equipment was submerged in the overflowing Kern River on Friday
In central California, the Tule River burst its banks and flooded several homes. Videos posted to social media showed a handful of homes and cars under a few feet of water and at least one street washed out by the raging river in Springville, a Tulare County town of about 1,000 in the foothills of the southern Sierra Nevada.
Evacuation orders were issued for other areas of the county, including parts of the small parish of Cutler because of a levee breach and areas of Exeter because a stream had burst its banks.
Floodwater that entered the area’s wells may be contaminated with chemicals, and officials have urged residents not to cook or drink with tap water, reports CBS News.
In the San Francisco Bay Area, flooding blocked portions of several major freeways, including Interstate 580 in Oakland, disrupting traffic.
And in Fresno County, first responders had to save three women — two of whom were in their 80s, while the third was 104. All of the victims were locked in their homes amid the devastating storms.
Finally, in recent weeks, Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom declared emergencies in 34 counties, and the Biden administration on Friday morning approved a presidential disaster declaration for some, triggering federal support for state “tribal and local response efforts” fueled by ongoing “severe weather storms.” ‘ caused flooding landslides and mudslides.’
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: A student with an umbrella walks through the storm here on Friday
SPRINGVILLE, CALIFORNIA: Vehicles were left submerged in flood waters Saturday as the storm abated
STRATHMORE, CALIFORNIA: Residents have been urged to evacuate in Northern California after a river overflowed nearby
POTTERVILLE, CALIFORNIA: People look out over the floodwaters of Deer Creek in an aerial view Friday
Rains eased on Saturday but continued on Sunday with scattered storms in the Los Angeles area.
Things are expected to get worse Monday night when another round of severe weather hits from an atmospheric flow known as the “Pineapple Express” for bringing warm subtropical moisture from near Hawaii across the Pacific.
This storm could bring more snow to the already flooded higher mountains and more flooding to lower elevations.
“Throughout much of northern and central California, we will see additional rounds of rain and heavy mountain snowfall,” National Weather Service meteorologist David Lawrence said.
“And we’ll also likely see that weather pattern continue as we finally head into the first half of next week.”
KTLA reports that coastal areas and valleys are forecast to see one to three inches of rain, while mountain and foothill communities may see three to six inches.
Meanwhile, a flood warning has been issued for the entire San Francisco Bay Area and Central Coast, effective Monday night and lasting through Wednesday morning.
And the region as a whole is on a strong wind watch, with winds of 25 to 45 mph, although gusts can reach 80 mph in the valleys and 70 mph on the coast and heights in excess of 1,000 feet.
From Wednesday evening to Friday morning there is a short wild weather break when another storm system is to move in.
National Weather Service officials are also warning that there could be “significant flooding,” particularly at lower elevations.
California’s Department of Transportation is now warning drivers to “be prepared for delays and take extra groceries, water, blankets and other essentials, and pack cellphone chargers” as roads may be closed due to widespread flooding.