Lain Biles '24
Over the course of the past month, California residents from across the state have been affected by record-breaking flooding, killing upwards of 20 people. The Bay Area and Santa Cruz, were under feet of water, trapping residents in their homes and vehicles as they attempted to flee. In San Luis Obispo, county officials continue to search for 5 year-old Kyle Doan, who was swept away from his mother’s car as floodwaters rose on January 9th. This week, search teams are traveling along the Salinas River in hopes of bringing closure to Kyle’s family. Further south, in Los Angeles County, flood dams are at risk of overflowing and spilling into the cities and towns that lie below them. According to the Los Angeles Times, an estimated $550 million would be required to empty these dams of their debris.
According to the Montecito Water District, Santa Barbara sees an average of 16.3 inches of rain per year, with the most precipitation occurring between January and March. However, the Santa Barbara Independent states that Santa Barbara County has currently achieved “274 percent of its “normal to date” rainfall,” adding that Lake Cachuma saw an increase of 22 billion gallons of water between January 1st and today. One of the largest concerns regarding this sharp increase in water is the overflowing of creeks that run from the mountains down to the ocean. These creeks were some of the same ones to flow over during the 2018 Montecito Mudslides. According to KSBY News of the Central Coast, Santa Barbara Sheriff Bill Brown stated prior to the storm’s arrival that it could have “the potential to cause basins in Southern Santa Barbara County to overflow, which could also impact Highway 101.” Sheriff Brown proved to be correct in his hypothesis, as many creeks did overflow, and Highway 101 was shut down for over a day, triggering a widespread transportation crisis.
In Chatsworth, a suburban community in Los Angeles County, a sinkhole erupted on January 9th amidst a heavy downpour of rain, swallowing two cars. According to CBS News, “Caltrans estimates emergency repair and reconstruction costs to the sinkhole on Iverson Road in Chatsworth to be more than $4 million”, adding that the sinkhole is believed to be “around 40 feet deep and growing.” Sinkholes can begin to form amidst drought conditions, similar to the ones we have experienced in California the past few years. However, heavy rains can prove to be the ultimate trigger of these dangerous- and often fatal- events, as the infrastructure beneath the road surface can collapse in on itself.
These storms- known as “atmospheric rivers”- are expected to increase in frequency in California. The United States Geological Survey states, “over the past 70 years, there is a pattern of increasing water vapor transport onto the West Coast associated with ocean surface warming.” The truth of the matter is that we often associate global warming with an uptick in wildfire danger, as well as dangerous water heating that can be destructive to fish and other aquatic life. However, other impacts of global warming, such as increased storm frequency, can be equally as devastating. In order to prevent these storms from occurring and protect the communities that we live in, it is important to be honest about what is truly causing these storms, and the ways in which one contributes to this growing issue. It is clear that the impacts of these storms do not magically disappear upon the draining of water from the streets or the clearing of fallen trees.
Such storms continue to devastate communities across the state and in many other parts of the world because they contribute to the much larger issue at hand: global warming. Unless change is made promptly, our communities will continue to be pummeled by Mother Nature’s wrath, causing irreparable damage.
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