California braces for imminent storm Hilary arrival
The US state of California is bracing itself for tropical storm, Hilary, which is already bringing fierce winds and flooding to Mexico’s Pacific coast.
It is lashing the Mexican state of Baja California with winds of 70 mph (119km/h). One man died there trying to cross a stream in his car.
Hilary is predicted to weaken as it moves north and should reach California on Sunday afternoon local time.
It would be the state’s first tropical storm in 84 years.
The last time a tropical storm made landfall in southern California was in Long Beach in 1939.
Experts say recent abnormal weather events that have plagued the US – and several areas across the globe – have been influenced by human-caused climate change.
The National Hurricane Centre (NHC) is warning that Hilary could cause “life-threatening” floods both in the US and Mexico.
Across California, residents have been putting out sandbags, including in Long Beach and Palm Springs.
Eugenie Adler, a resident of Long Beach, told Reuters: “Flooding where people lose some property is one thing, but flooding where people die is another. And I’m afraid people might die.”
Nearly 26 million people in the south-western US are under flood watch.
—BBC
