Another severe storm hit the state of California on Saturday evening, forcing thousands of people from their homes and killing at least two people, and a dam cracked in coastal Monterey County: “We were hoping to avoid this situation, but the worst-case scenario happened when the Pajaro River overflowed its banks and the dam broke at about midnight.
Residents confirmed to AFP that they were ordered by local firefighters to leave their homes in the middle of the night.
The National Weather Service said a flood warning was still in effect for the area Saturday afternoon.
Photos posted on Twitter show security guards rescuing residents trapped in their cars due to flooding.
At least one road was damaged in Santa Cruz County, north of Monterrey.
Residents of several cities, mostly in the north, were ordered to evacuate.
A series of unusually violent storms hit California over the course of several weeks.
In Pajaro, the fire department and the National Guard used drones on Saturday to survey flooded areas and search for people stuck in their homes, AFP correspondents said.
For his part, US President Joe Biden approved the state of emergency declared in California on Friday, paving the way for faster federal aid to the state.
Governor Gavin Newsom said California is “using every means available to protect residents from the severe and deadly storms that are hitting our state.”
Storms in January claimed the lives of 20 people.
