Tension As California Prepares for Heavy Winter Storm- Ethnic Media Services

According to Ethnic Media Services, 36 million Californians are bracing for potentially life-threatening floods from a weekend atmospheric river.

36 million Californians from the southern border through Sonoma County are bracing for potentially life-threatening floods from a weekend atmospheric river.

The season’s strongest storm is expected to bring heavy rain, snow and wind from the evening of Saturday, February 3 through at least Tuesday, said National Weather Service meteorologist Eric Schoening at an emergency response briefing held by the California Office of Emergency Services (CalOES) on Saturday.

While these two early-February storms differ from last year’s season, which brought months of atmospheric rivers, “this individual storm has the potential for very significant impacts,” he added. “This storm could have just as big — if not bigger — impacts than any individual storm from last year.”

While the Bay Area and Central Valley will feel early impacts through Sunday, the heaviest flooding is expected across the central and southern coast — including Los Angeles and San Diego — from Sunday through Tuesday.

In Southern California, which is most at risk of life-threatening flooding, an average of three to seven inches of rain are expected along the coast and in the valleys, and six to 12 inches are expected in the mountains, but some regions may get as much as 15 inches.

State responses
Storm floods “are the most dangerous natural disasters that we have,” said CalOES Director Nancy Ward, killing more Californians annually than even wildfires and earthquakes do.

In response, she continued, Gov. Newsom’s office “has mobilized the full weight of the state government” by extending the CalOES emergency operation center to 24 hours a day; putting over “8,500 boots on the ground through CalOES, CHP, CalFire, Caltrans, the Conservation Corps and the National Guard”; having over 7 million sandbags ready alongside sheltering and basic needs supplies for nearly 40,000 people; and readying high water rescue teams and equipment.