Sacrament.- Rain ripped through California on Wednesday as the state awaits another powerful storm that forecasters say could bring more flooding, landslides and high winds, just days after an “atmospheric river” flooded the West Coast.
Usually, the amount of rain like that expected in the next few days has not had a significant impact. However, last weekend’s rain left saturated soil in much of California resembling a wet sponge, forecasters said, leaving the state more susceptible to flooding.
That has left officials up and down the coast determined to weather the flooding, in a state that has spent the better part of several years battling drought and wildfires.
Governor Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency for all of California in order to quickly organize the response to the storm.
At Wednesday’s press conference, Nancy Ward, press director for the governor’s office of emergency services, warned of flooding, mudslides and power outages.
“We anticipate that this could be a challenging and impactful series of storms that have hit California in the last five years,” he said.
Preparations were carried out throughout the state. In Northern California, several parks closed and were monitoring the Santa Cruz Mountains due to high winds that could down trees.
In San Francisco, city officials had a shortage of sandbags to hand out to residents in the morning, though they will have plenty in the afternoon.
Evacuations were ordered in parts of Santa Cruz County, south of San Francisco.
In San Mateo County, many students requested permission to return home this Wednesday and not have school on Thursday.
“Don’t let your guard down,” warned the National Weather Service.
