USA
At least five dead in violent storms in California
More than 700 trees have been downed or damaged in San Francisco, according to authorities. photo
© Chin Hei Leung/SOPA Images via ZUMA Press Wire/dpa
The US state of California, which is often plagued by dryness and drought, has been hit by severe storms. Five people have already died and tens of thousands were temporarily without power.
At least five people have been killed in severe winter storms in Northern California. According to the city of San Francisco, two people died from injuries sustained during the extreme weather. In Oakland, a homeless man was found dead from his tent after it was hit by a fallen tree, the San Francisco Time.news reported.
A large tree fell on a moving car in the Contra Costa district. One of the two occupants died, the local fire department said. Also in Portola Valley, a person in their vehicle was killed in this way.
Heavy rain and squalls caused damage across much of Northern California on Tuesday. In San Francisco, over 700 trees were downed or damaged, the authorities of the west coast metropolis took stock on Wednesday. The storm broke windows in high-rise buildings. Tens of thousands of people were temporarily without power.
There were reports of further road damage, flooding and landslides. Since January, the state on the west coast of the country, which has often been plagued by dryness and drought in the past, has been hit by unusually heavy rainfall. The soil is already saturated with the amount of water over the past few months.