Hurricane Hilary ravaged the Baja California Peninsula, Southern California, and other Southwestern parts of the U.S throughout the third weekend of August.
The hurricane brought amounts of rainfall and wind to the Southwest including at Sunnyslope; it cycled from tropical storm to hurricane depending on the area affected.
When and Where did the Hurricane hit?
The Hurricane directly hit California and Mexico, causing property damage and a resulting casualty.
In California, the Governor made preparations before the hurricane hit – by focusing on communities at risk, closing parks, supplying resources and protection, and bringing awareness to citizens.
According to an article from the Office of Governor Gavin Newsom, “Governor Newsom Proclaims State of Emergency As Hurricane Hilary Approaches California”,Newsom, “proclaimed a state of emergency for much of Southern California” and “the state continues mobilizing and coordinating resources ahead of the storm’s forecasted impacts starting today.”
How severe was the hurricane, and what precautions were taken?
Although the downpour caused damage to property and triggered flooding in the area, the precautions taken by California were able to somewhat minimize the damage.
According to an article by Bryan Woolston and Rollo Ross, “Storm Hilary moves north after drenching Southern California, Southwest”, “Record rains for the Aug 20 date fell across Southern California in places like downtown Los Angeles and at airports in Burbank and Santa Barbara on Sunday, the weather service said.”
However, in Woolston and Ross’s article, a FEMA administrator Deanne Criswell said that California residents took the necessary steps to “ help protect themselves and their family.”
Mexico also suffered heavy rains, flooding, and strong winds.
Did the Hurricane cause property damage?
The hurricane caused flooding that wrecked property in its path.
In fact, according to the article, “Tropical Storm Hilary damages top $126 million countywide, damage still being assessed: Coachella Valley heavily impacted,” the hurricane caused “‘upwards of $100 million in damage throughout Riverside County,’ said Riverside County Fourth District Supervisor V. Manuel Perez.”
How did the hurricane affect people and their homes?
In Mexico, where the Hurricane first hit, it left a casualty due to flooding from the hurricane and rain.
According to a post from the Secretary of Security and Citizen Protection, “it reported the death of a person after his vehicle was swept away by the current.”
In California, according to an article from AP News by Mark J. Terrill, John Antczack and Julie Watson, no serious deaths or injuries have been reported, but danger remained.
Ultimately, the hurricane brought unforeseen rainfall and winds to the areas affected.
Want to find out More Information on Hurricane Hilary and its impact? Here are my sources:
https://rivco.org/news/tropical-storm-hilary-damages-top-126-million-countywide-damage-still-being-assessed-coachella
https://apnews.com/article/tropical-storm-hilary-los-angeles-california-mexico-flooding-25c75cba2dc7aea316056effdf913817
https://www.gov.ca.gov/2023/08/19/governor-newsom-proclaims-state-of-emergency-as-hurricane-hilary-approaches-california/
https://www.reuters.com/world/us/tropical-storm-hilary-releases-fury-southern-california-2023-08-21/