California suffered heavy rain on Wednesday January 11, caused by a cyclone which risks aggravating the floods and landslides caused by a series of deluges which have already killed 18 people in this western American state.

The torrential rains of the previous days on soils already saturated with water generated vast power cuts, numerous floods, uprooted many trees and cut off major roads, the floods sometimes carrying motorists.

Some regions have recorded levels of precipitation not reached for 150 years. 

“A massive spinning cyclone off the west coast will again bring heavy rainfall and gusty winds (Wednesday), this time targeting Northern California,” the US Weather Service (NWS) explained.

The region could receive up to 18 cm of precipitation in places.

Wednesday afternoon, more than 55,000 homes were without electricity.

California Governor Gavin Newsom visited this region of Santa Cruz County on Tuesday, one of the most affected by the serial storms.

On the spot, he warned against those to come, less powerful but just as dangerous.

"This place is soaked. And now a more modest amount of precipitation can have a bigger impact in terms of conditions on the pitch," he warned the press.

“We are not at the end of our troubles. We expect the storms to continue at least until January 18,” he added. 

child still missing

According to its services, the storms of the past few weeks have caused at least 18 deaths, "more than the forest fires of the past two years".

In Paso Robles, in the central part of the state, a five-year-old child was swept away by the floods on Monday while his mother was driving him to school.

He was still missing on Wednesday.

"My wife is completely devastated to have survived without him," her father, Brian Doan, told the Los Angeles Times.

"She did her best."

According to him, mother and son were trapped by water in their car.

When she tried to pull the child out, they were separated by the current and she was rescued by neighbours, who failed to retrieve the boy.

A search is still ongoing and "we will continue (...) until we find him", assured the services of the sheriff of the county of San Luis Obispo to the local media.

According to the Los Angeles Times, the deadly toll of recent storms includes motorists trapped by flooding in their cars, residents crushed by falling trees, a couple killed by a landslide and bodies washed away by the waves.

With AFP

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