Long Beach residents fill sacks with sand in preparation for possible flooding from the storm. CAROLINE BREHMAN (EFE)
California woke up to persistent moderate rain this Sunday. The rainfall heralded the impending arrival of Hilary, the storm that claimed at least one life as it made its way through Mexico’s Baja California region and will leave large amounts of water in dozens of communities beginning at 5 p.m. and throughout Monday. The state government has declared a state of emergency, urging the population to take all necessary precautions against possible flooding in the entity’s desert districts.
Gov. Gavin Newsom signed the declaration of emergency Saturday when Hilary was still a Category Two hurricane. In the last few hours, the weather phenomenon has lost strength and expanded into a tropical storm with wind speeds of up to 60 kilometers per hour. However, Hilary has put on high alert after the National Hurricane Center (CNH) determined the rains could cause “catastrophic and life-threatening” flooding.
Hilary has picked up steam in her approach to the United States. On Saturday, the hurricane was moving at a speed of 25 kilometers per hour, but in the past few hours it has started To about 40 kilometers per hour, according to CNH. The increased pace means more area is being covered, helping the rains reach communities in western Arizona and southern Nevada. These are places where rainfall is low on average, and Hilary can leave two years’ worth of rain in a matter of hours.
The forecast has hundreds of residents preparing for possible showers. Especially in communities in Southwest California. In Palm Springs, the popular resort town 170 kilometers east of Los Angeles, hundreds of residents filled sandbags throughout Saturday to protect the water from atypical flooding. Authorities are not ruling out the closure of the freeways leading to Death Valley and Joshua Tree natural parks.
The same scene could be seen in coastal cities like Long Beach and San Pedro south of Los Angeles. The Weather Service has determined that there is only a 5% chance of coastal flooding. However, these cities were the contact point of the last tropical storm to reach California soil. The meteorological phenomenon known as El Cordonazo de San Francisco left 48 dead and dozens missing in September 1939.
The state government has mobilized approximately 7,500 elements of the California National Guard to assist the population with preventive tasks and rescue operations when needed. Of these, around 350 soldiers and 24 amphibious vehicles are already stationed at the first point of attack of the storm. “My entire administration is poised to respond to this unprecedented storm,” Newsom said Saturday.
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Some coastal trains connecting Los Angeles to San Diego have been temporarily suspended. About 2,000 workers on the state’s highway network have installed pumps to prevent flooding on roads in areas like Orange County, home to 3.1 million people.
Local authorities have closed 10 public parks in Southern California and four beaches in Orange and San Diego counties, prompting the cancellation of camping reservations for hundreds of people and the cancellation of concerts and public events, including at Los Angeles’ popular Hollywood Bowl. The presence of public security forces and lifeguards in coastal towns has been increased. “People are advised not to go into the sea during the storm,” the state government said.
Phone and internet companies have warned their users that there could be service cuts in the coming hours. The same was warned by the state company in charge of the electricity grid. The professional baseball and soccer leagues MLB and MLS have postponed their games for Sunday.
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