In California, floods and landslides occurred in some areas as a result of unusually sudden rains, while many flights were canceled due to adverse weather conditions, and the public was advised not to drive for a while.
Experts from the National Weather Service reported that wind speeds reached 96 kilometers per hour in San Francisco, in the northern part of the state, and reached 128 kilometers per hour in mountainous areas.
San Francisco police announced on Facebook that a person died after a tree fell on him.
The California Governor’s Office declared a state of emergency in 7 counties, including Los Angeles and San Diego, which is located on the state’s border with Mexico, due to the disaster caused by the effect of the “atmospheric river”, in which evaporated air is carried by the wind and creates intense moist air currents in the sky.
According to the website “PowerOutage.US”, which tracks power outages in the country, more than 458 thousand subscribers across the state are still unable to receive electricity.
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The people of the region, who usually suffer from drought, are unprepared for floods
California, which in recent years has been plagued by drought and wildfires caused by extreme heat, was caught unprepared for the damage caused by the floods.
Data from the US National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) revealed that only 52,400 homes and businesses are covered by flood insurance in the 8 counties of California, which were declared “disaster areas”.
The NFIP pointed out that this number corresponds to less than 1 percent of the 7.7 million households in 8 counties with more than 22 million people.
In Los Angeles County, home to more than 10 million people, only 14,600 homes are covered by flood insurance.
“Atmospheric rivers” form over the warm ocean as long and narrow corridors of air, and when they reach land, they cause hurricane-like severe weather.
