Arctic Storm Beats Heck Out Of California
This is a bad one. The Arctic storm that hit California today has left one million people without power. Snowfall in the Sierra Nevada mountains is expected to top ten feet. As bad as that all is, there is also a family missing in the storm ravaged area - which makes it even worse. The brutal conditions are hampering efforts to try to find them.
Flights were grounded and highways closed in Northern California as gusts reached 80 mph during the second wave of an arctic storm that sent trees crashing onto houses, cars and roads. Forecasters expected the storm to dump as much as 10 feet of snow in the Sierra Nevada by Sunday.
The heavy snow was slowing search efforts for a family believed to be missing in the mountains, authorities said.
Highways from Sacramento to San Francisco were closed because of debris or toppled big rigs blocking lanes, and local roads were flooded. Interstate 80 was closed in the Sierra, the main link between Northern California and Nevada.
"A huge tree, over 100 years old, just fell across the house. It just wrecked the whole thing," said Faye Reed, whose daughter Teenia owns the damaged home north of Sacramento. "They won't be able to live in it. The whole ceiling fell in, and now it's raining inside."
More than a million people from the Bay Area to the Central Valley were in the dark. Crews worked to restore power, but it could be days before all the lights are on, said Pacific Gas & Electric spokeswoman Darlene Chiu.
In Southern California, authorities in Orange County ordered an estimated 3,000 residents to evacuate homes in four canyons scarred by wildfires and therefore prone to mudslides.
The missing family , a man and his twin children had gone out to "play in the snow," and have not been seen since.
John Hopper, 64, a volunteer chaplain with the Clovis police, left town Thursday morning with his 15-year-old twins, Matt and Sarah, to "go play in the snow," Stoll-Lee said.
The family didn't give any indication of where they were heading, and law enforcers heard they were missing only when Hopper's ex-wife reported they hadn't returned late Thursday, she said.
Rangers and police are doing their best to find them, but they really have no idea where they might be. Say a prayer or hope for them.
Environment | Gaius Friday, 4 January , 2008
By Snooper, Friday, 4 January , 2008 @ 10:18 pm
I have evidently been too much of a political junky lately to have missed this.
Prayers going out to those folks out there.
By Anthony (Los Angeles), Friday, 4 January , 2008 @ 10:26 pm
It’s coming down in buckets right now here in LA. I’m originally from Northern California and I can imagine what they’re going through. The winter storms (what global warming?) can really lash the state up there. This year, they’re just late.
We’re also supposed to be in a drought. Of course, a short sequence of storms won’t make much difference, but 10′ of snow-pack will. People may be without power now, but it could mean we have enough water come spring and summer.
By AYY, Saturday, 5 January , 2008 @ 2:54 am
The Fresno Bee reported that they’ve been found and are okay.