Gov. Gavin Newsom has declared a state of emergency as California prepares for today’s Hurricane Hilary.
Evacuation orders were issued to residents in the southern state before the historic storm made landfall around 1 p.m.
The governor’s office has tried to reassure them that extensive preparations are underway, including the placement of “more than 7,500 troops on the ground.”
Still, panic buying has left San Diego and Los Angeles supermarket shelves empty of essentials.
The tropical storm, which made landfall in California for the first time since 1939, could affect more than 42 million people.
Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a declaration of a state of emergency for California on Saturday
The historic storm is expected to hit southern California around 1 p.m
Hurricane Hilary is currently registered as a Category 1 storm and was downgraded from Category 2 on Saturday evening
Panic buying has cleared shelves in San Diego and Los Angeles supermarkets (pictured)
A sandbar has been built at Seal Beach in California to mitigate the worst effects of the expected stormy waves
Calm before the storm: Eerie San Lucas awaits Hilary, which is set to strike Sunday afternoon
“California continues to mobilize ahead of Hurricane Hilary’s planned landfall in Southern California.” “People are being urged to take all necessary precautions today,” Gov. Gavin Newsom’s office said in a statement Saturday night.
“Governor Gavin Newsom has declared a state of emergency across much of Southern California to support Hurricane Hilary response and recovery efforts as the state continues to mobilize and coordinate resources to meet the projected impact of the storm beginning today.”
“As directed by the governor, more than 7,500 troops are currently deployed to the field to help local communities protect Californians from the effects of Hurricane Hilary,” it said.
The state prepared water rescue teams, California National Guard personnel and flood-fighting equipment ahead of Hilary’s arrival, officials said.
Hurricane Hilary is currently registered as a Category 1 storm and was downgraded from Category 2 on Saturday evening.
The National Hurricane Center warned that Hilary could cause “catastrophic and life-threatening flooding” in Baja California and the US Southwest.
The threat has sparked California’s first tropical storm warning, stretching from the state’s southern border to north of Los Angeles.
The storm could bring more than a year of rain to parts of the southwest, the National Weather Service warned.
Parts of Nevada and southern California can experience up to 25 cm of rain in a matter of hours.
The storm could bring more than a year of rain to parts of the southwest, the National Weather Service warned
Customers rush to buy emergency supplies in Los Angeles on Saturday
Residents prepare sandbags provided by the City of Indio in a library lot as Hurricane Hilary’s path heads north toward Southern California
Long Beach lifeguards fill sandbags for residents ahead of Hurricane Hilary
People shovel sand into sandbags from Seal Beach as Hurricane Hilary approaches
The San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Office has issued evacuation notices to residents of Oak Glen, Forest Falls, Mountain Home Village, Angelus Oaks and NE Yucaipa.
The storm had picked up speed on Saturday night and was moving at a speed of around 29 km/h around 500 miles southeast of San Diego.
It is expected to continue to weaken as it moves north-northwest through cooler waters towards Southern California.
However, the severest impacts are expected later on Sunday and into Monday, including possible winds of 90mph.
Visiting California National Guard troops, first responders and local officials on Saturday, Newsom said, “In California, thousands of local people are working hand-in-hand with federal and local personnel to provide communities in the path of Hurricane Hilary with resources, equipment and… to support expertise.”
“We are mobilizing the entire government as we prepare for and respond to this unprecedented storm.”
Nancy Ward, director of the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services, said Hilary “could be one of the most devastating storms to hit California in more than a decade.”
“Make no mistake, this is a very, very dangerous and significant storm,” she told reporters at a news conference on Saturday.
Gusts of wind from Hurricane Hilary are being felt in the port area of Cabo San Lucas on Saturday
The port area of Cabo San Lucas in Baja, Mexico, is preparing for the arrival of Hurricane Hilary on Saturday
The National Hurricane Center has warned that Hilary could bring “catastrophic and life-threatening flooding” to Baja California
A woman runs through the rain on Fremont Street in downtown Las Vegas on Saturday
In Cabo San Lucas, a fence leans in the wind as the wind picks up ahead of Hilary’s arrival
The US Navy has announced it will send many of its warships to San Diego Bay to help manage and secure boats in port as the hurricane hits the region.
Officials in Los Angeles are building shelters and working to keep homeless people living in the city’s famously dry riverbed away from it in anticipation of flooding.
Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department officials have urged homeless people living in dry riverbeds to seek shelter from the storm.
Food, cots and shelter have also been provided for those in need.
President Joe Biden said the Federal Emergency Management Agency has mobilized personnel and supplies in the vulnerable areas.
“I urge all who stand in the way of this storm to take precautions and listen to the direction of state and local officials,” he told reporters on Friday.
Elsewhere, Major League Baseball postponed three games Sunday in California due to dangerous weather conditions forecast from Hurricane Hilary.
Schools in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, were made into temporary shelters while police patrolled closed beaches in Baja California Sur state to keep swimmers away.
Hilary will be the first tropical storm to reach California since 1939.