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California Braces for Seven More Days of Storms

There can be a cumulative impact to this series of storms.

California has suffered through a series of devastating storms in recent weeks. Coastal flooding, high winds, and lots of rain have battered the state. Power outages and flooding have caused much suffering and will continue to do so.

The state has lost thousands of trees. I’m a tree lover, so when a hundred-year-old stately tree is toppled, a little bit of me dies. When it hits a power line or crushes a home or car, there are other ramifications.

With another seven days of severe weather in the forecast, we should be watching for infrastructure to start failing as it was weakened already by previous storms. More mudslides, more road blockages, and for those buildings and roads that survived up until now, more pressure on them that could lead to their failure. Levees that have withstood the impacts of flood waters are particularly vulnerable.

Buckle up California — it is going to be a bumpy ride going forward.
Eric Holdeman is a contributing writer for Emergency Management magazine and is the former director of the King County, Wash., Office of Emergency Management.