The lull in winds this weekend allowed authorities to lift evacuation orders in many neighborhoods in Los Angeles. Thousands of residents were able to return home. But that was before the forecasts from the American weather services. Dry and windy weather is expected on Monday, with gusts of up to 130 km/h.
American firefighters who are fighting the fires that have ravaged Los Angeles for days and killed at least 27 people are therefore preparing for this return of strong winds. Gavin Newsom, the governor of California, says he hopes this is the “last” similar episode. The two main fires which destroyed nearly 16,000 hectares and wiped out entire neighborhoods of the second city in the United States are now more than 50% contained, according to the authorities.
False information spread by Trump and Musk
As thousands of firefighters continue to work day and night to control these devastating fires, President-elect Donald Trump declared during a rally on Sunday that he would visit the site on Friday. The governor of California had invited the Republican, who attacked him for his management of the fires, to visit Los Angeles and see the damage. But the political controversy has not subsided, and Gavin Newsom regretted on Sunday that false information, some of which was taken up by Donald Trump, was circulating.
“It’s really not helpful,” he said on MSNBC about speaking out about the lack of water available to fight the flames. “No municipal water network in the world could cope with such a fire,” insisted the Democrat, accusing Elon Musk, the richest man in the world and very close to Donald Trump, of spreading disinformation.
-Floods to come
In the meantime, dog brigades continue to inspect the disaster areas in search of victims, in charred buildings and even in certain steep areas. The region suffered its driest start to the year since 1850, according to the governor.
He also warns that, “in the next two weeks”, heavy rains could cause flooding. “We are going to start laying sandbags,” he declared, adding that he had mobilized 2,500 national guards for this purpose. Due to global warming, “we are facing extremes never seen in the past,” added Gavin Newsom. Scientists regularly point out that climate change is increasing the frequency of extreme weather events.
