Yolo county faces power loss, flooding and falling trees following California’s record rainfall
By MADELEINE YOUNG — city@theaggie.org
On Jan. 4, Yolo County issued an emergency proclamation order in a press release following Governor Gavin Newsom’s declaration of emergency in California. This came after record storms in California left Davis, and much of Northern California, grappling with fallen trees, flooding and power outages.
“The winter storm will bring strong winds and heavy rainfall along the coast and will impact interior Northern California,” the press release reads. “Downed trees, widespread power outages, and difficult driving conditions are expected.”
High wind speeds and rain have significantly affected electricity on a city-wide scale, leaving many without power for hours on end, affecting the lives of students and staff of UC Davis along with residents in the city.
“I came in for my shift, and the entire perimeter was cleared. We had to throw all of our perishables away because it all got spoiled,” said Thomas Jovalis, a crew member at the Trader Joe’s in University Mall, which lost power during one of the storms. “Right as I came in, the power came back on, but we still had to toss all of our salads, juices, milk and eggs.”
With winter quarter beginning, the effects of the storm have stood as an obstacle for Davis students.
“Among the many challenges my peers and I experienced, the cold showers were probably the worst,” said Danielle Nguyen, a first-year in the Cuarto dorms.
Due to city-wide power outages following the January 7th and 8th storms, the city of Davis announced in a statement released on Jan. 11 that there would be charging centers, restrooms and water available at the Veterans Memorial Center from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. while they resolve power issues.
Yolo County expects the extreme weather to continue into next week and will continue to update its Current Emergencies and Incidents page on its website. Current charging station locations and storm updates can be found on the city website.
Written by: Madeleine Young — city@theaggie.org
