A series of severe winter storms has caused flooding, mudslides and power outages in parts of California, resulting in 14 deaths in the past week and an undetermined amount of damage. In response to a request by Gov. Gavin Newsom, President Joe Biden approved an emergency declaration in a 17-county area. Forecasters say more storms are still on the way.
The California Dept. of Water Resources activated its flood operations center with round-the-clock monitoring Jan. 3. Jeremy Arrich, manager of DWR’s flood management division, says the agency is focused on Pajaro River in Santa Cruz and Monterey counties, Salinas River in San Luis Obispo and Monterey counties, Cosumnes River in Sacramento County, Bear Creek in Merced County and Russian River in Mendocino and Sonoma counties. Seven locations are forecast to exceed flood stage within the next five days, and 20 more are expected to exceed monitor stage, which can result in overflow from weirs into bypass areas.