Cleanup Begins in the Wake of Tropical Storm Hilary

As reported by PBS NewsHour, Southern California is cleaning up in the wake of its first tropical storm in more than 80 years.

Tropical Storm Hilary, which made landfall over the weekend, brought historic amounts of rain, as well as floods and mudslides, to the worst-hit areas. The resort town of Palm Springs declared a state of emergency, as the storm flooded its streets and knocked out the city’s 911 emergency system. In some areas, roads collapsed completely due to landslides.

“It’s a bit unprecedented,” D.J. Hilton, a resident of Cathedral City, told PBS. “We’ve had storms before, but never anything quite this windy and rainy at the same time.”

Mid-week, with the downgraded storm heading north toward Nevada, 17 million people in the state continue to be under watches and warnings for high winds and flooding. Schools in San Diego and Los Angeles were closed on Tuesday, and according to Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, the city remains on high alert.

“As you know, sometimes damage can occur in the hours and days after a storm hits,” she said during a press conference.

To make matters worth, an area just north of Los Angeles was also hit by an unrelated 5.1-magnitutde earthquake on Sunday. According to PBS, there have been no reports of major damage or injuries in the United States. But in Baja California, Mexico, where Hilary first hit, several homes were destroyed, and a woman drowned as a result of the storm.

This year, extreme weather has struck the U.S. from coast to coast and beyond—manifesting as devastating tornados, hurricanes, floods, and wildfires—and highlights the need for facilities to be ready for such weather-related disasters. To learn more about what you can do, check out Prepare Your Facility for a Natural Disaster.