California storm kills two, breaks levees
By Le Figaro with AFP
published
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there new storm That hit the state of California and caused major floods that significantly led to the breaking of a dam on the Pajaro River on Saturday, March 11, after two people were killed and thousands of people were forced to evacuate.
“We were hoping to avoid that, but the worst case scenario happened when the Pajaro river overflowed and the dam broke around midnight (Friday to Saturday evening)Luis Alejo, the official from Monterey County, which lies on the coast in central California, tweeted on Saturday.
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The Twitter account of the California National Guard showed photos of rescue operations of residents in their cars, trapped by the massive flood. At least one road was also literally washed out Friday in a small community in Santa Cruz County, just north of Monterey County.
Also read – Hurricanes in the American West: California Bereaved by Historic Storms
On Friday, California Director of Emergency Services Nancy Ward announced that the storm caused “Unfortunately (…) two deaths“.
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California is in an emergency
This flooding was caused by another storm that swept through California, and it has already been a victim of a particularly rainy winter in recent weeks. Precipitation of up to 23 cm is expected in some places.
This rain, caused by a rather warm depression, was likely to melt part of the extraordinary mass of snow which had accumulated during the previous three months. Sufficient to cause a runoff that is impossible to contain in the waterways of this state in the west of the country.
On Friday, US President Joe Biden approved a state of emergency declaration in California, to facilitate aid from the federal state. Numerous evacuation orders have been issued, particularly in Northern California, and have also been affected.
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“Pineapple Express”
This storm, like most of the others this winter, is fueled by “atmospheric river“, a massive stream of rain transporting water vapor stored in the tropics, often around Hawaii, earning them the nickname”Pineapple Express“.
Also read – The hectic Mediterranean promises storms in the fall
In January, a series of storms caused floods, landslides, and downed multiple trees, killing 20 people.
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