theo reuters, Severe flooding occurred in eastern and western Los Angeles County on August 20 when the Hillary storm system affected the state of California – United States. Earlier, Typhoon Hillary pounded the Baja Peninsula – Mexico with deadly force, causing flash floods, severe flooding and 1 death.
Hillary is classified by the Americans as a “tropical storm”, which corresponds to a category 12 or lower hurricane according to the Beaufort scale used by Vietnam.
Vehicles cross a basin where floodwaters almost reached the surface of the road in Palm Desert, California, on August 20 – Photo: AP
According to forecasters, the total amount of rain that the storm will bring to the mountain and desert areas of California will be 12-25 cm, which is equal to the amount of rain that the desert regions receive in an entire year.
San Bernardino County ordered the evacuation of several towns in the mountains and valleys, where images on social media showed muddy water, rockslides and fallen trees.
In western Ventura County, the National Weather Service warned of life-threatening flooding with up to 5 centimeters of rain in just two hours. Several cars were trapped in the Spanish Hills area, where firefighters had to come to the rescue.
theo cnn, The storm hit California on the evening of August 20 (US time), flooding roads and downing power lines, and rescue teams were called in everywhere.
The Los Angeles Unified School District – the second largest in the US – also closed on August 21, along with two other large school districts in the area.
Muddy and debris-laden waters also closed several stretches of highways in Southern California. By the evening of August 20, more than 4,500 flights were delayed or canceled across the United States.
earthquake creates fear
Just before the landfall of Hurricane Hillary, a magnitude 5.1 earthquake (on the US Moment earthquake scale) struck Southern California.
According to data from the United States Geological Survey (USGS), the epicenter of the earthquake was located in the city of Ojai, between Santa Barbara and Ventura counties, along the Scissor Fault.
There were no immediate reports of injuries or damage, but tremors were felt throughout Los Angeles.
The earthquake lasted for several tens of seconds, and was followed by at least two aftershocks – magnitudes 3.1 and 3.6.
