Biden declares a state of emergency in California due to storms

US President Joe Biden has adopted a declaration of a state of emergency in California due to storms that have killed at least 12 people over the past ten days and cut off power to hundreds of thousands of homes and businesses in the state.

The White House said in a statement that the state of emergency authorizes the Federal Emergency Management Agency to coordinate disaster relief efforts and mobilize emergency resources.

Last week, severe weather resulted in violent winds that toppled trucks and flooded the streets of small towns on the Northern California coast.

More than 120,000 California homes and businesses were without power early Monday, according to data from PowerAutage.us, after a massive storm last week disrupted roads, triggering torrents, rockslides and uprooted trees.