A magnitude 5.1 earthquake hit Southern California, where Storm Hilary is passing.
Hilary rocks California by threatening catastrophic rains and floods. The warning is skyrocketing in the south of the state, where the tropical storm has already caused the cancellation of more than a third of flights at the San Diego airport. Governor Gavin Newsom has declared a state of emergency and the deployment of thousands of men to help in a state that is accustomed to drought, fires and earthquakes but not the expected torrential rains.
The alert is particularly high after the disaster in Maui, where the warning and aid systems failed, resulting in more than 114 dead and 1,000 missing.
Joe Biden is expected in Hawaii shortly: the president, in the role of ‘consuler-in-chief’ (‘consoler-in-chief’, US media play on words with Commander-in-chief), will touch the damage caused by the fires that destroyed Lahaina. It is a difficult visit for Biden, which comes as the pressure from activists on the White House to declare a climate emergency so that he can act strongly and quickly to mitigate environmental threats is mounting.
Biden has come under fire for both his personal reaction to the Maui tragedy and what many consider the government’s disappointing response. The fire broke out while the president was on vacation and after an initial comment on August 10, the president was eerily silent for five very long days. A surprising silence considering that Biden is known for his empathy and attention, and is also determined not to repeat the mistakes of his predecessors in the face of disasters (Katrina for George W. Bush, the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico for Barack Obama and the hurricane in Puerto Rico for Donald Trump). Personal criticisms were compounded by those of government action, which appeared slow and ineffective with many witnesses who still today claim not to have seen anyone from the federal government in Maui. The White House ran for cover by spreading the busy schedule of contacts the president had with the authorities in Hawaii and Maui, and his immediate response to the emergency. However, the criticisms especially from the Republicans did not stop.
While the administration grapples with Hawaii, alarm in California is at an all-time high in decades. In fact, Hilary arrives on a territory bent by years of drought and fires and threatens to dump an entire year’s rain in just 24 hours. “Floods ranging from dangerous to catastrophic are expected”, is the warning launched by local authorities, who invite residents to take the tropical storm seriously and to follow the orders, including those for evacuation already issued for some communities in the counties of San Bernardino and Riverside. Supermarkets have been storming across Southern California, where finding water on the shelves is nearly mission impossible. He begins to count Hilary’s passage through Mexico: in the Baja California peninsula some areas are without electricity and without a telephone connection. A preliminary count that is destined to rise in the coming days.
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