Rancho Mirage, California (NewsNation) — The 2023 hurricane season started off with a vengeance as Hurricane Hilary weakened to a tropical storm, making landfall in Mexico and bringing devastation to Southern California.
Busy streets were covered in feet of mud Monday morning, stranding cars and prohibiting traffic.
Cities in Southern California received a year’s worth of rain in just one day, causing mudslides, rockslides, significant tree damage and lots of flooding. WeatherNation field correspondent Ben McMillan told NewsNation that it will be a long road ahead for officials in the state to clean up.
“This is the first time we’ve seen a tropical storm impact this area in 25 years — over 25 years,” McMillan said. “It’s something officials are going to have to get used to dealing with unfortunately.”
On Sunday, an emergency room actually flooded and firefighters had to pump the water out of the area and pull emergency crews off the streets to deal with the flooding, McMillan said.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency for most of Southern California in preparation for the storm, hoping to support faster recovery and response efforts.
Multiple Swiftwater rescue teams were on standby, conducting rescues throughout the night, McMillan said. He explained that part of Interstate 10 was actually washed away and motorists in their vehicles were swept away by the flood currents.
“They don’t want you out and about. They don’t want you trying to travel because this type of thing is going to take a while,” McMillan said. “They’re going to have to bring in heavy machinery and inspection teams to make sure the reads are safe.”
The best thing for Southern California residents to do right now in the wake of Tropical Storm Hilary is to stay home, Palm Springs Mayor Elena Carter told NewsNation. She explained the city needs to assess the damage and needs to start cleaning up the streets.
It’s important to wait for emergency crews to assess any hazards and damage before people begin to get their lives back together.
