Governor Gavin Newsom has declared a state of emergency as California braces for Hurricane Hilary to hit today.
Residents in the south of the state have been issued evacuation orders in anticipation of the historic storm making landfall around 1 p.m.
The governor’s office has tried to reassure them. Extensive preparations are underway, including placing “more than 7,500 boots on the ground.”
Despite this, panic buying has stripped supermarket shelves of essentials in San Diego and Los Angeles.
The tropical storm, the first to make landfall in California since 1939, could affect more than 42 million people.
Governor Gavin Newsom signed a declaration of emergency for California on Saturday
The historic storm will make landfall in Southern California around 1 p.m
Hurricane Hilary is currently registered as a Category 1 storm, downgraded from a Category 2 on Saturday night
Panic buying has ravaged supermarket shelves in San Diego and Los Angeles (pictured)
A sandbar has been built at Seal Beach in California to mitigate the worst effects of the expected stormy waves
The calm before the storm: Spooky San Lucas awaits Hilary, ready to strike on Sunday afternoon
California continues to mobilize for the expected landfall of Hurricane Hilary in Southern California. People are urged to take all necessary precautions today,” Governor Gavin Newsom’s office said in a statement Saturday evening.
Governor Gavin Newsom has declared a state of emergency for much of Southern California in support of Hurricane Hilary response and recovery efforts as the state continues to mobilize and coordinate resources ahead of the storm’s predicted impacts beginning today.
“Under the direction of the governor, more than 7,500 boots are currently deployed on the ground to help local communities protect Californians from the effects of Hurricane Hilary,” it read.
The state has prepared water rescue teams, California National Guard personnel and flood control equipment ahead of Hilary’s arrival, officials said.
Hurricane Hilary is currently registered as a Category 1 storm, downgraded from a Category 2 on Saturday night.
The National Hurricane Center warned that Hilary could cause “catastrophic and life-threatening flooding” in Baja California and the US Southwest.
The threat has led to California’s first-ever tropical storm warning, stretching from the state’s southern border to just north of Los Angeles.
The storm could bring rain to parts of the Southwest for more than a year, the National Weather Service warned.
As much as 10 inches (25 cm) of rain can fall in a few hours in part of Nevada and Southern California.
The storm could bring rain to parts of the Southwest for more than a year, the National Weather Service warned
Customers rush to buy emergency equipment in Los Angeles on Saturday
Residents prepare sandbags provided by the City of Indio in a library parking lot as Hurricane Hilary’s path moves north toward Southern California
Long Beach lifeguards fill sandbags for residents ahead of Hurricane Hilary
People shovel sand from Seal Beach into sandbags with Hurricane Hilary approaching
The San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Office has issued evacuation orders to residents of Oak Glen, Forest Falls, Mountain Home Village, Angelus Oaks and NE Yucaipa.
By Saturday night, the storm had accelerated and was moving at about 18 mph, about 500 miles southeast of San Diego.
It is expected to continue weakening as it moves north-northwestward through cooler waters toward Southern California.
However, the heaviest effects are expected later on Sunday and Monday, including possible winds of 90 miles per hour.
While visiting California National Guard troops, first responders and local officials on Saturday said Newsom: “California has thousands of people on the ground working hand-in-hand with federal and local personnel to support communities in the path of Hurricane Hilary with resources, equipment and expertise.
“We are mobilizing the entire government as we prepare for and respond to this unprecedented storm.”
Nancy Ward, director of the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services, said Hilary “could be one of the most devastating storms we’ve had in California in over a decade.”
“Make no mistake, this is a very, very dangerous and significant storm.” she told reporters at a Saturday news conference.
Wind gusts from Hurricane Hilary were felt in the port area of Cabo San Lucas on Saturday
The port area of Cabo San Lucas, in Mexico’s Baja, braces for Hurricane Hilary’s arrival on Saturday
The National Hurricane Center has warned that Hilary could bring “catastrophic and life-threatening flooding” to Baja California.
A woman runs through the rain on Fremont Street in downtown Las Vegas on Saturday
A fence leans into the wind in Cabo San Lucas as the wind picks up before Hilary arrives
The US Navy has announced it will send many of its warships to San Diego Bay to help manage and secure boats in the harbor when the hurricane hits the region.
Los Angeles officials are setting up shelters and working to move homeless people living in the city’s famously dry riverbed away from flooding with water.
Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department deputies urged homeless people living in dry riverbeds to seek shelter from the storm.
Food, cots and shelter have also been arranged for those in need.
President Joe Biden has said the Federal Emergency Management Agency had gathered personnel and supplies in the high-risk areas.
“I urge everyone, everyone in the path of this storm, to take precautions and heed guidance from state and local officials,” he told reporters on Friday.
Elsewhere, Major League Baseball has moved three games from Sunday in California ahead of dangerous weather conditions predicted for Hurricane Hilary.
Schools in Mexico’s Cabo San Lucas were readied for use as temporary shelters, while police patrolled closed beaches in the state of Baja California Sur to keep swimmers out.
Hilary will be the first tropical storm to make landfall in California since 1939.