Calfornia [US], August 22: As Tropical Storm Hilary moved deeper into southern California, US state officials warned "the worst of the storm is yet to come" and residents should remain on high alert.
Yesterday, Tropical Storm Hilary brought strong winds and heavy rain from the direction of Mexico across the border with the US and into southern California . It was the first time in 84 years that a tropical storm hit southern California.
Flash flood warning, record rain
At 2 am on August 21 (local time), the center of storm Hilary was about 120 km northeast of Bakersfield city, moving at a speed of 45 km/h in the north - northwest direction and brought gusts of up to 64 km/hr.
Thousands of people in Southern California were without power, and the 911 emergency service in Palm Springs was knocked out by the storm after the equivalent of six months of rain took just six hours to fall. TP.Indio, east of Los Angeles, declared itself a state of emergency and local police said 911 lines in the city were also disrupted. California Governor Gavin Newsom previously declared a state of emergency in southern California because of the storm.
And NBC News quoted information from the National Weather Service (NWS) as saying that as of yesterday, at least 9 areas of Los Angeles County witnessed record rainfall. In particular, the weather station at the University of Southern California recorded the highest rainfall since 1906. Cities such as Long Beach, Palmdale, Lancaster, Sandberg, Oxnard and airports in Santa Barbara, Hollywood Burbank also recorded the amount. unprecedented rain.
More than 20 flash flood warnings were also activated in multiple locations, including Los Angeles, San Bernardino, Death Valley, Ventura and Santa Clarita counties. In addition, evacuation orders have been announced for San Bernardino and Riverside counties. CBS News Los Angeles reports that an evacuation alert is in place in Orange County during this time. Before the impact of the storm, California's two largest school districts, Los Angeles and San Diego, announced school closures on August 21, and other school districts made similar decisions.
During the storm's arrival, a 5.1 magnitude earthquake struck southern California, with its epicenter in Ojai (between Santa Barbara and Ventura counties), and caused tremors throughout Los Angeles County. There are no reports of earthquake-related damage.
The center of the storm quickly entered Nevada
At dawn on August 21 (local time), Hurricane Hilary continued to move through the southwestern United States and on its way to the state of Nevada. CNN quoted information from the National Hurricane Center warning of the risk of deadly flash floods in the path of the storm. TP.Las Vegas is also at risk of flooding because of heavy rain forecast. Nevada Governor Joe Lombardo has declared a state of emergency across the state. Parts of Oregon and Idaho were also affected by heavy rain that lasted until August 22.
US President Joe Biden directed the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to deploy manpower and supplies to California, Nevada and possibly Arizona in the coming days.
Source: ThanhNien Newspaper