A young child was killed Wednesday night when a redwood tree fell on a family's Sonoma County home during a rainstorm that brought strong winds and downpours to California.
Occidental Volunteer Fire Chief Ronald Lunardi said a child believed to be under 2 years old died Wednesday night after the tree fell on the home, The Press Democrat reported. The child's parents, who were inside the home at the time, were not injured.
The toddler was inside the mobile home with his parents in the 2800 block of Joy Road in Occidental when the large tree came down onto the home and pinned the boy, sheriff's officials said. The parents were not hurt.
The first call came at about 5:15 p.m., and responding rescue crews said they were greeted by the father running towards them with the boy in his arms, officials said. The crew administered CPR, but the boy died at the scene.
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In Fairfield, a 19-year-old woman died after her vehicle hydroplaned on a flooded road and hit a utility pole, police posted on Facebook. In Southern California, one person was killed in a multi-vehicle crash on the 10 Freeway east of Los Angeles.
The storm turned deadly as damaging winds and heavy rain impact much of the state, knocking out power to tens of thousands and causing flash flooding.
The storm dumped rain in parts of the San Francisco Bay Area, where the region had been under flood warnings. In Southern California, the storm was expected to peak into early Thursday, with Santa Barbara and Ventura counties likely to see the most rain, forecasters said.
“We anticipate that this may be one of the most challenging and impactful series of storms to touch down in California in the last five years,” said Nancy Ward, director of the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services.
The severe weather turned deadly Wednesday night when an infant was killed after a redwood tree fell onto a home in rural Sonoma County. The child's parents were inside the home. They were not injured.
San Francisco Mayor London Breed said at a news conference that the city was “preparing for a war.” Crews cleared clogged storm drains, tried to move homeless people into shelters, and passed out emergency supplies and ponchos to those who refused to go.
The city distributed so many sandbags to residents that supplies temporarily ran out.
Powerful winds gusting to 85 mph or more forced the cancellation of more than 70 flights at San Francisco International Airport and downed trees and power lines. The winds damaged a canopy of a Valero gas station in South San Francisco.
Firefighters rescued a family after a tree fell onto their car. The fire department reported “large pieces of glass" fell off the Fox Plaza tower near the Civic Center, although no injuries were reported. It was “highly possible" the damage was wind-related, the department tweeted.
More than 180,000 homes and businesses were without power in California early Thursday, according to poweroutage.us.
Photos: Scenes From Southern California's January Storm
The storm is the latest of three so-called atmospheric river storms in the last week to reach the drought-stricken state. California Gov. Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency to allow for a quick response and to aid in cleanup from another powerful storm that hit just days earlier.
A 45-mile stretch of the coastal Highway 1 running through Big Sur was closed Wednesday evening in anticipation of flooding and rock falls. Farther north, a 25-mile stretch of Highway 101 was closed due to several downed trees.
Drivers were urged to stay off the roads unless absolutely necessary, especially with heavy snow expected in the mountains.
Evacuation orders were in place in Santa Cruz County’s Paradise Park along the swiftly moving San Lorenzo River, as well as in areas along the Pajaro River. Residents who fled wildfires in the Santa Cruz Mountains in 2020 packed their bags as the towns of Boulder Creek, Ben Lomond and Felton were all warned they should be prepared to evacuate.
Sonoma County authorities issued an evacuation warning for a string of towns along the Russian River.
The storm came days after a New Year’s Eve downpour led to evacuations in Northern California and the rescue of several motorists from flooded roads. A few levees south of Sacramento were damaged, and at least four people died in flooding.
The storms won't be enough to officially end the state's ongoing drought, now entering its fourth year, officials say.
