US: Heavy rains leave tens of thousands without power in California
Northern California was the hardest hit by torrential rains over the weekend. Forty one thousand inhabitants remained without electricity on Sunday. Flooding has closed major roads south of Sacramento, including a freeway.
"The speed and volume of the water was unbelievable, it wreaked havoc on the Zoo," said the Zoo representative Nik Dehejia.”
"We noticed that the water started running down the street and probably in about 20 minutes it flooded the restaurant," says restaurant owner Mishima Brachett.
"Within 15 minutes, the garage door was damaged and cracked, and water came in," says Zaki Abed, a businessman.
“I would say this is the worst flooding we've seen here. The whole store was filled with water," said Zilda Campos, an employee of a grocery store.
“The car is completely flooded inside. The engine lights were flashing, so I don't know if it's going to be fixed," resident Kristina Kaiser said.
Although California's drought remains far from over, the wet weather since late 2022 has allowed at least some of the state's major reservoirs to exceed their historical water supply average.
The rain has stopped for several hours, but forecasters say a major storm is moving across the western Pacific and will reach California in the coming days. Rain was forecast to return to Los Angeles on Monday afternoon or evening, followed by a strong Pacific storm with heavy rain and strong winds on Wednesday and Thursday.
