Gavin Newsom has declared a state of emergency as California prepares for Hurricane Hilary to hit today.
Residents in the downstate received evacuation orders before the historic storm made landfall around 1 p.m.
The governor’s office tried to reassure them that extensive preparations are underway, including the deployment of “more than 7,500 boots in the field.”
But panic buying set in and some supermarket shelves in San Diego and Los Angeles were stripped of essentials such as water and canned goods.
The tropical storm, the first to make landfall in California since 1939, could affect more than 42 million people.
Governor Gavin Newsom signed California’s state of emergency proclamation on Saturday.
Panic buying has left supermarket shelves bare in San Diego and Los Angeles (pictured)
The historic storm is expected to make landfall with Southern California around 1 p.m.
Hurricane Hilary is currently listed as a Category 1 storm, downgraded to Category 2 on Saturday evening
A sandbar has been placed at Seal Beach in California to try to mitigate the worst effects of the expected stormy waves
Calm before the storm: Eerie San Lucas awaits Hilary, which is expected to hit Sunday afternoon
“California continues to mobilize ahead of Hurricane Hilary’s expected landfall in Southern California.
“People are urged to take all necessary precautions today,” Gov. Gavin Newsom’s office said in a statement late Saturday.
“Governor Gavin Newsom has declared a state of emergency for much of Southern California to support Hurricane Hilary response and recovery efforts as the state continues to mobilize and coordinate resources ahead of the storm’s forecast impacts from today.
“Under the Governor’s direction, there are currently more than 7,500 boots on the ground deployed to help local communities protect Californians from the impacts of Hurricane Hilary,” it read.
The state prepared water rescue teams, California National Guard personnel and flood control equipment before Hilary’s arrival, officials said.
Hurricane Hilary is currently listed as a Category 1 storm, downgraded to Category 2 on Saturday evening.
The National Hurricane Center has warned that Hilary could cause “catastrophic and life-threatening flooding” in Baja California and the southwestern United States.
The threat triggered California’s first-ever tropical storm warning stretching from the state’s southern border to northern Los Angeles.
The storm could dump more than a year of rain on parts of the southwest, the National Weather Service warned.
Parts of Nevada and southern California can see up to 10 inches of rain fall in a matter of hours.
The storm could dump more than a year of rain on parts of the Southwest, the National Weather Service has warned.
Customers rush to buy emergency preparedness materials in Los Angeles on Saturday
Residents pack sandbags provided by the city of Indio in a library parking lot as Hurricane Hilary’s path heads north toward Southern California
Long Beach lifeguards fill sandbags for residents ahead of Hurricane Hilary
People shovel sand from Seal Beach into sandbags as Hurricane Hilary approaches
Evacuation notices have been issued to residents of Oak Glen, Forest Falls, Mountain Home Village, Angelus Oaks and NE Yucaipa by the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Office.
By Saturday evening, the storm had picked up speed, moving at about 18 mph, about 500 miles southeast of San Diego.
It is expected to continue to weaken as it moves north-northwest through cooler waters towards southern California.
However, the heaviest effects are expected later Sunday and Monday, including possible winds of 90 miles per hour.
During the visit of California National Guard troops, first responders and local officials on Saturday, Newsom said: ‘California has thousands of people on the ground working hand-in-hand with federal and local personnel to supporting communities in the path of Hurricane Hilary with resources, equipment and expertise.
“We are mobilizing across government as we prepare for and respond to this unprecedented storm.”
Nancy Ward, director of the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services, said Hilary “could be one of the most devastating storms we’ve had in California in over a decade.”
“Make no mistake, this is a very, very dangerous and significant storm.” she told reporters at a press conference on Saturday.
Gusty winds from Hurricane Hilary are felt Saturday in the port area of Cabo San Lucas
The port area of Cabo San Lucas in Baja, Mexico prepares ahead of the landfall of Hurricane Hilary on Saturday
The National Hurricane Center has warned Hilary could cause ‘catastrophic and life-threatening flooding’ in Baja California
A woman runs in the rain on Fremont Street in downtown Las Vegas on Saturday
A fence leans into the wind in Cabo San Lucas as the wind picks up ahead of Hilary’s arrival
The US Navy said it will send many of its warships to San Diego Bay to help manage and secure boats in port when the hurricane hits the area.
Los Angeles officials are setting up shelters and working to ward off homeless people living in the city’s famous dry riverbed, in anticipation of its flooding.
Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department deputies urged homeless people living in dry riverbeds to seek shelter away from the storm.
Food, beds and shelter have also been provided for those in need.
President Joe Biden said the Federal Emergency Management Agency has rallied personnel and supplies to at-risk areas.
“I urge everyone, everyone in the path of this storm, to take precautions and listen to the advice of state and local authorities,” he told reporters on Friday.
Elsewhere, Major League Baseball postponed three of Sunday’s games in California in anticipation of dangerous weather forecast for Hurricane Hilary.
Schools in Mexico’s Cabo San Lucas stood ready to be used as temporary shelters as police patrolled closed beaches in the state of Baja California Sur to keep swimmers out.
Hilary will be the first tropical storm to make landfall in California since 1939.
