At least 17 people have been killed as the vast US state has been hit by unrelenting extreme weather, which has flooded homes and businesses and wiped out major roads over the past fortnight.
California is no stranger to winter storms bringing rain and snow – particularly in the mountains – but this season has been unusual for the sheer number of them battering this state in quick succession.
In Ventura County in southern California, emergency service workers are using a blue rope to help a man hoist himself free of the knee-deep, cement-like mud.
“I hadn’t expected it to be so deep but these kind folks helped me out,” says Ray, a prospector, whose trade is to search for mineral deposits in the land.
He has lived in the mountain community along the Ventura River for 25 years.
“The biggest danger is too much water for the ground to soak up. You’ve got huge rock mountains everywhere, the water just piles up, and when it does, this is where it comes,” he says, pointing to vast piles of sludge and rocks on the river bank.
He has been assessing the damage of this latest deluge. “I study the weather for my local area a lot and it seems like it’s going to get worse,” Ray says. “Storms like this will become the norm. Mother Nature is probably pretty mad at us given that we’ve polluted and destroyed our environment beyond all belief.”
For the past fortnight, this vast state has been hit by unrelenting extreme weather, killing at least 17 people, flooding homes and businesses and wiping out major roads. Seeing the swollen creeks and rivers, it is difficult to believe California is also in the grip of several years of drought.
