Powerful rainstorms hitting California in the past two weeks have killed 17 people, the state’s emergency department reported Jan. 11.
“It’s been a very dangerous and deadly series of events,” Brian Ferguson, deputy director of the Office of Emergency Services, told The Epoch Times.
The victims lived in nine different counties with the number of fatalities reaching higher than those killed in the past two wildfire seasons combined, Ferguson said.
Shelters were opened throughout California to serve the 48,000 residents evacuated from their homes. About 40,000 more people were still under evacuation warnings Wednesday, Ferguson added.
Emergency crews continued to search for Kyle Doan, a 5-year-old boy who was swept away by floodwaters Monday near San Miguel, about 130 miles southeast of San Jose. His mother, a local teacher, was rescued by bystanders, according to reports….