On Sunday, August 20th, 2023, the nation turned its attention to the swift hurricane barreling towards southern California in apprehension. Hurricanes rarely pass by the West Coast, and the last time southern California was hit by a tropical storm was 84 years ago. Greg Postel, a hurricane and storm specialist at the Weather Channel, remarked in response to CBS News that, “it is rare–indeed nearly unprecedented in the modern record–to have a tropical system like this move through Southern California.”
Originating on the southern coast of Mexico, Hurricane Hillary charged toward Baja California, Mexico, at around 8:00 a.m. on August 20th. Once it reached Mexico’s shores, it fortunately downgraded to a tropical storm and was expected to die down by Monday.
The government cautiously decided how to handle the impending hurricane. Gavin Newsom, the governor of California, issued a state of emergency Saturday for the entire southern California region, the first time a tropical storm warning had ever been issued in the state of California. On Sunday, Biden requested FEMA to deploy personnel and supplies to California so the state would be ready to respond and rescue civilians. “We will continue to coordinate with California, Nevada, and Arizona on any resources they might need,” Biden reported.
The largest impact of Hurricane Hilary on California is arguably the deluge. Palm Springs, a desert city in southern California, received 3.18 inches of rain on Sunday, breaking its record and equivalent to more than half a year of rain. Los Angeles had 3 inches of rain, and Beverly Hills recorded a whopping 4.8 inches. Unsurprisingly, the mass amount of rain resulted in lots of flooding, and in some places, it was life-threatening. Flash flood watches quickly went into effect throughout southern California. Many national parks, such as Joshua Tree and Mojave were closed due to the possibility of mud/landslides.
Southern California took Saturday through Monday seriously and cautiously canceled or rescheduled events. On Sunday evening, LAUSD declared that on the 21st, all schools, campuses, and after-school programs would be closed. LA County Department of Parks and Recreation announced that all parks and facilities were closed Sunday and Monday. Disneyland closed its parks on Sunday, and Major League Baseball rescheduled three games.
Unfortunately, the community was damaged, and many homes suffered water damage. For instance, authorities said around 50 mobile homes were flooded in Cathedral City, and fire officials rescued 13 people in a homeless encampment along the San Diego River. Susan Doucette, a resident of Oak Glen for nine years, commented, “We’ll clean it up. We’ve done it before, we’ll do it again. California will repair and bounce back stronger” In the end, optomistic communities came together to repair neighborhoods and support people affected by this natural disaster.
