(KTXL) — Storms that hit California on Saturday night and early Sunday morning knocked down trees and power lines, leaving more than 300,000 people behind. powerless in Sacramento and surrounding counties.
Nearly 350,000 people lost power overnight. The Sacramento Municipal Utility District, the region’s primary electricity supplier, reported that more than 200,000 customers were still without power on Sunday afternoon.
At a press conference on Sunday, state officials, including the governor, have been in touch with President Joe Biden and are pledging to his administration to ensure the state has full federal support in its recovery from the recent storms. He said he was requesting a declaration of a state of emergency.
The director of the State Emergency Services Agency said the recent storm was the fifth to hit the state since Dec. 27, with stronger storms expected from Sunday night through Tuesday.
The weekend’s storm hit California after several days of relatively mild weather following another windy storm mid-week.
The storm, a series of atmospheric rivers that form over the ocean and turn into rain and snow as it reaches land, has hit the state since December 27.
The state has suffered from severe drought in recent years, and with so much rainfall in such a short period of time, there are benefits as well as problems.
Several communities were forced to evacuate after New Year’s weekend storms, and Santa Cruz County and the Bay Area were devastated in the ensuing storms. Sacramento woman killed by fallen tree on Saturday night.
State officials have declared a state of emergency due to the storm and the risk of flooding it poses.
Prepare for the next storm sacramento county Authorities have issued an evacuation warning for the community of Wilton, one of the hardest-hit areas in the New Year’s Eve weekend storm.
Authorities are urging residents to leave the area before the storm hits.
https://www.mystateline.com/news/storm-leaves-hundreds-of-thousands-without-power-in-california/ Storm puts hundreds of thousands out of power in California