Governor Gavin Newsom on Saturday proclaimed a state of emergency Saturday for a large portion of Southern California, as the state prepares for a historic hurricane expected to cause extreme rain and flooding.
There are “more than 7,500 boots on the ground” already deployed to help protect from the impact of Hurricane Hilary, according to the release from his office.
“Today, Governor Gavin Newsom proclaimed a state of emergency for much of Southern California to support Hurricane Hilary response and recovery efforts as the state continues mobilizing and coordinating resources ahead of the storm’s forecasted impacts starting today,” the release read.
The storm, which may pour than a year’s worth of rain on parts of the Southwest, weakened from a Category 3 storm to a Category 2 storm on Saturday as it advanced toward California, according to the National Hurricane Center. The storm is still a major hurricane moving with maximum sustained winds of 110 miles per hour, the center said.
The storm has sped up and is moving faster than expected, now moving at 17 mph, and is currently located 640 miles southeast of San Diego. Hilary is expected to continue to weaken as it moves north-northwestward through cooler waters toward Southern California. Residents in the Southwest are bracing for “catastrophic and life-threatening flooding” as the system is expected to pummel the region as a rare tropical storm, with the harshest impacts expected on Sunday into Monday.
Flooding rain from the storm will start to arrive well in advance of Hilary’s core of stronger winds. Those winds could arrive as soon as Sunday morning, along with more prolific and dangerous rainfall, according to the National Hurricane Center.
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