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Tropical Storm Hilary Lashes SoCal, Mexico as Wildfires Rage in Washington and Canada

HeadlineAug 21, 2023

Tropical Storm Hilary made landfall Sunday in Baja California, Mexico, and shortly after in Southern California, where authorities have warned of “life-threatening” floods. One person died in Mexico when their vehicle was swept away in water. School districts in Southern California and Nevada have canceled classes. In Palm Springs, the 911 emergency phone system was knocked out Sunday evening as residents of California’s desert towns say they’ve never witnessed such extreme storms.

DJ Hilton: “It is a bit unprecedented. We’ve had storms before, but never anything quite this windy and rainy at the same time. I have a friend who just saw a 60-foot carport get blown off of his neighbor’s house and carried four houses up.”

Meanwhile, further north, in Washington state, one person died in a growing wind-fueled wildfire near the city of Spokane. Governor Jay Inslee declared a state of emergency.

Gov. Jay Inslee: “There’s a beast at our door, and that’s the beast of climate change. It seems like the whole world is on fire today — Yellowknife, Canada, with over a thousand fires burning in Canada; Maui, with Lahaina burnt to the ground; and now Spokane County and 35,000 acres on fire today in Washington state.”

Canada is sending its military to help tackle its record-breaking wildfires in British Columbia. So far, more than 35,000 people have been evacuated.

In Hawaii, the death toll from the Maui wildfires has reached 114, with another 1,000 still missing. President Biden is meeting today with federal, state and local officials, as well as survivors.

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