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California Gov. Gavin Newsom on Sunday declared a state of emergency for Southern California as a second -and more powerful- atmospheric river moved into the region.
The proclamation covers Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, San Diego, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara and Ventura counties.
“The emergency proclamation includes provisions authorizing a California National Guard response if tasked, facilitating unemployment benefits for impacted residents and making it easier for out-of-state contractors and utilities to repair storm damage,” the governor’s office said in a news release.
A state of emergency had already been issued for San Diego and Ventura counties on Jan. 23 due to recent heavy rainfall.
Newsom’s office announced on Friday that they would be mobilizing more than 8,300 “boots on the ground” statewide to help Californians weather the storm.
The state has activated several emergency facilities, including the State Operations Center, Flood Operations Center, Caltrans Emergency Operations Center and the Medical Health Coordination Center in coordination with local and federal officials.
In addition, the state has seven million sandbags prepositioned as well as 21 swift water rescue teams on standby, the governor’s office said.
Locally, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass said that the city has “been taking action ahead of the extreme weather” and encouraged Angelenos to stay prepared by using the city’s storm information website.
Sandbags are being distributed at Los Angeles Fire Department stations across the city, with free sand available at select locations.
For live updates on the atmospheric river storm hitting SoCal, click here.