December 22: California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger declared a state of emergency in six counties in the face of flooding rains and mounting snow from a storm that may be beneficial as well as destructive. “The circumstances of these storms, by reason of their magnitude, are or are likely to be beyond the control of the services, personnel, equipment and facilities of any single county, or city,” Schwarzenegger said in his proclamation.
An estimated 17 feet (5.2 meters) of snow has fallen in less than a week at a monitor near the Kern River in California’s Sierra Nevada mountains, according to the U.S. Hydrometeorological Prediction Center. Central and Southern California have borne the brunt of a storm that has dropped rain by the foot in some places and heavy snow in the mountains, forcing evacuations.Forecasters predict that the worst is yet to come. There have been at least two deaths related to the storm, including a 3-year-old boy in the Fresno area and a 22-year-old man, who was ejected from his car in Bakersfield. PHOTOS
Posts
