In Pictures

Gallery|Weather

In Pictures: Biden declares emergency for storm-hit California

California is expecting even more turbulent weather after thunderstorms, snow and damaging winds cross the state.

California Storms
A drone view of a tree that fell during a winter storm with high winds in Sacramento, California, the United States. [Fred Greaves/Reuters]
Published On 9 Jan 2023

US President Joe Biden approved an emergency declaration for California after a week of storms that have killed at least 12 people since December 31 and knocked out power for hundreds of thousands of homes and businesses in the state.

The emergency declaration authorises the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to coordinate disaster relief efforts and mobilise emergency resources, the White House said in a statement.

More than 120,000 homes and businesses were still without power in California early on Monday, according to data from PowerOutage.us, after a massive storm last week that disrupted road travel with flash floods, rock slides and toppled trees.

The National Weather Service warned of a “relentless parade of atmospheric rivers” — storms that are long plumes of moisture stretching out into the Pacific Ocean and capable of dropping staggering amounts of rain and snow.

In the past week, severe weather has spawned violent wind gusts that toppled trucks, flooded the streets of small towns along northern California’s coast and churned up a storm surge that destroyed a pier in Santa Cruz.

California Storms
A member of a Pacific Gas & Electric crew works to repair a power line, following storms in Mendocino, California. [Fred Greaves/Reuters]
Advertisement
California Storms
A “gigantic, thumping, crashing sound” was heard from inside the house as a tree fell onto a Sacramento home. [Kathleen Ronayne/AP Photo]
California Storms
Joe Costa was a friend of a homeless woman who was killed by a falling tree branch during the storm on the bank of the Sacramento River in Sacramento, California. [Fred Greaves/Reuters]
California Storms
Caltrans crews clean up mudslides on Highway 20, following storms in Clearlake Oaks, California on January 5, 2023. [Fred Greaves/Reuters]
California Storms
A powerful storm pounded the West Coast this week, uprooting trees and cutting power for tens of thousands on the heels of record rainfall over the weekend. [Kathleen Ronayne/AP Photo]
California Storms
In the Los Angeles region, scattered rain fell during the weekend while stormy conditions were expected to return Monday, with the potential for up to 20cm (8 inches) in foothill areas. [Fred Greaves/Reuters]
Advertisement
California Storms
A homeless woman was killed by a falling tree branch during a winter storm on the bank of the Sacramento River. [Fred Greaves/Reuters]
California Storms
In an aerial view, damage is visible on the Capitola Wharf following a powerful winter storm on January 6, 2023 in Capitola, California. [Justin Sullivan/Getty Images/AFP]
California Storms
The weather service's Sacramento office said the region should brace for the latest atmospheric river to roar ashore early on Monday, January 9. [Fred Greaves/Reuters]
A damaged pier is seen after rainstorms
Rainstorms known as "atmospheric rivers" slammed northern California, damaging the pier in Santa Cruz. [Carlos Barria/Reuters]
Severe Weather California
Surfers ride waves in front of a Golden Gate Bridge tower at Fort Point in San Francisco. [Jeff Chiu/AP Photo]