By Viviana Casillas, Staff Writer | January 27, 2023
Photo courtesy of Associated Press Images
As of December 26, 2022, there have been huge floods, major landslides, and even power outages due to an atmospheric river in the San Francisco Area.
Reports of numerous injuries and deaths have surfaced. At least 8 people have reportedly died due to these storms while 4 were killed by the atmospheric river, a 72-year-old man was struck by a tree, a two-year-old was injured by a tree collapsing on his house, and a 19-year-old crashed into a utility pole.
In downtown San Francisco, on December 31, there was heavy downpour that was reportedly more than 5.45 inches of rain. This amount of rain almost beat their local record of 5.54 inches on November 5, 1994.
On January 4th, there was a level 5 storm causing flooding on highways and some serious storm damage. The 101 highway has been reportedly closed due to the outrageous flooding and residents living around that area have been issued an evacuation warning. Cameras have captured many cars that have been left stranded in the middle of roads and highways due to the flooding.
“I definitely think this a sign that something bigger is coming to California especially since climate change has been affecting everything, higher sea levels, and the weather has been all over the place,” said Carson High School student Melanie Gonzalez. “My aunt and cousin were issued an evacuation warning because of how bad the flooding was in her area, so they stayed with my grandma for a while. They weren’t prepared for this flood at all.”
Many schools were closed on January 9th due to the level five storm that happened on Wednesday.
The national weather service weather prediction center tweeted that 2 Bay Area cities have seen more than half a year’s worth of rain in the last 16 days while San Francisco has seen an average of 13.34 inches of precipitation.
“Yes, I do think it’s a sign because I've heard that California is supposed to break away from the U.S. and sink in the coming years, so I think it is a sign we need to take better care of our environment,” said CHS student Dannie Melton. “My family was not prepared for it at all but after this situation they will prepare better to prevent future things like that.”
It has been advised to only call 911 if it's a life-threatening situation due to so many calls coming into the call center.
As of today January 26, 2023, the weather's going to stay in the mid 60s.