California Gov. Gavin Newsom Asks Federal Aid Amid Power Cut Due to Storms

California Gov. Gavin Newsom announced that he is seeking to ask federal aid from U.S. President Joe Biden's administration after California faces a series of brutal storms, prompting the state to cut power and leaving hundreds of thousands of residents without electricity.

Newsom told state residents to expect the worst of the storm and "very intense" weather in the next 48 hours during a winter storm update on Sunday.

The California governor said to "not test fate," adding that just a foot of water will cause cars to float and that "half a foot of water and you're off your feet."

The National Weather Service announced that "atmospheric river events" will remain to violently pass California this week, with the most potent system to arrive on Monday.

NSW noted that more rains on saturated soil will cause flooding, mudslides, and burn scar debris flows.

The weather service added in a statement that there would be widespread mountain snow and high winds on top of other weather issues across the state of California.

AccuWeather meteorologist Ariella Scalese said that it could be "a deadly situation and the storm will likely be a billion-dollar disaster."

California Storms Now

Another winter storm system was projected to arrive on Sunday in Southern California, bringing heavy downpours in the said areas. Monday and Tuesday are projected to bring two solid days of rain.

Meanwhile, in Los Angeles and Orange Counties, people can expect a high temperature of around 63 degrees with cloudy skies and a chance of a drizzle.

Meteorologists announced that there will be a Level 3 storm on Monday in the San Francisco Bay Area.

The same area weathered a Level 5 storm last Wednesday, which caused some flooding on roadways and highways around the region.

Newsom noted that the state government has mobilized resources to address the flooding, power outages, and other major disasters across the state.

In addition, the California National Guard has mobilized troops and has deployed four rescue helicopters to be on standby.

Federal Aid in California

Newsom said that 12 people lost their lives as a result of violent weather during the past 10 days, with warnings that storms could be even more dangerous.

The California governor said that he planned to allot $202 million for flood safety investments in the upcoming budget proposal.

One homeless woman was killed in Sacramento after a tree fell on her tent, according to the Sacramento Fire Department.

A powerful storm had also uprooted trees, which triggered widespread power outages in Sacramento.

More than 424,000 utility customers remained without power across California, as of Sunday afternoon.

Meanwhile, around 2,900 people were under evacuation orders.

The weather service's Sacramento office said that widespread power outages and difficult driving conditions will likely continue due to the downed trees.

In Sonoma County north of San Francisco, about 13,000 residents were issued evacuation warnings.

The state's Transportation Department also warned motorists to stay off mountain roads due to heavy snow and ice.

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Mary Webber

WATCH: California Winter Storm: 5 p.m. Update | Jan. 8, 2023 - from ABC10