Deadly storms, flooding continue to batter California

Los Angeles, Jan 10 (EFE).- Fierce storms that have triggered flooding and mudslides, forced thousands to evacuate their homes and are blamed for more than a dozen deaths since late December continued to wreak havoc in California on Tuesday.

The National Weather Service announced on Twitter that high winds, marble-sized hail and storm surge were threatening some parts of the San Francisco Bay area.

Others sections of the state, including the Sacramento Valley and Monterey Bay, remain on alert for flooding.

Local media reports indicate that 16 people have died in connection with the natural disaster, while the website Power Outage on Tuesday afternoon put the number of customers without service at nearly 140,000.

Torrential rains and strong winds dating back to late last year have caused severe flooding in the state.

The parts of California that have been affected in the past by drought-fueled forest fires are at greatest risk from mudslides because those blazes have reduced the stability of the soil.

And the heavy rains bring immediate danger and no long-term relief, with experts saying that years of wet weather would be needed to reverse the state’s long-term drought conditions.

US President Joe Biden, who is currently in Mexico for the North American Leaders Summit, declared a state of emergency in California on Monday.

That measure will allow the state government and local administrations to gain access to the federal resources they need to respond to storm-triggered disasters.