Roof leaks at Oscars as devastating Pineapple Express continues to ravage the Golden State

Crews at the 95th Academy Awards battled Sunday to clean up water seeping from the roof of the Dolby Theater before celebrities arrived on the new champagne-colored carpet after weeks of devastating storms.

Water could be seen Sunday afternoon trickling through the red curtains that serve as the ceiling for the dazzling event and onto the carpet where actors, directors and producers will soon pose for photos.

Members of the Academy’s drip control team tried to alleviate puddles forming on the red curtains with giant poles. ABC 7 informs, before placing buckets to collect the drip. Fortunately, the champagne carpet was covered before the event.

But scattered storms may continue until 8 p.m., when the star-studded event begins after parts of California have already received up to 13 inches of rain, leaving roads flooded and two people dead.

Now expect to see even wilder weather in the coming days, with flood and high wind watches in effect for the entire San Francisco Bay Area and Central Coast starting Monday night and running through Wednesday.

Another storm is likely to follow in its wake.

Rain and snow battered much of California on Friday in the 10th atmospheric river storm of the winter, forcing road closures across the state and one of its major dams opening its spillway for the first time in nearly four years.

More than 9,000 California residents were under evacuation orders, California Office of Emergency Services Director Nancy Ward confirmed.

He also stated that two other deaths from previous weeks were confirmed to have been caused by this disastrous weather, bringing the number of confirmed deaths from the weeks of persistent storms to 16.

More than 50 people have had to be rescued by first responders and the California National Guard in recent days.

Monterey County was the hardest hit area in the state, receiving up to 13 inches of rain on Friday.

Rain topped the 10-inch mark in Santa Cruz County, where a rain-swollen creek washed out a portion of Main Street in Soquel, a town of 10,000, and isolated several neighborhoods.

Crews were working to remove trees and other debris and find a way for people to cross the creek, county officials said.

There was also flash flooding in Kernville, another foothill town in Kern County. Authorities said no injuries or rescue calls were reported Friday afternoon, but the river, known to locals as the ‘Killer Kern,’ was still rising.

The flooding was captured in stunning video showing it taking over homes, as officials warned people in Springville they were facing “catastrophic, life-threatening” flooding.

Evacuations were ordered in nearby Watsonville, where water from the creek spilled and filled roads with several feet of water, threatening dozens of homes with flooding. In one home, chickens inside a backyard chicken coop perched on a bar near the roof to avoid water.

In central California, the Tule River overflowed its banks, inundating several homes. Videos posted to social media showed a handful of homes and cars under a few feet of water and at least one road washed away by the rushing river in Springville, a Tulare County city of about 1,000 people in the southern Sierra foothills. Snowfall.

Evacuation orders were ordered for other areas of the county, including parts of the small community of Cutler due to a levee breach and areas of Exeter because a creek overflowed its banks.

Floodwater that entered the region’s wells may be contaminated with chemicals, and authorities urged residents not to cook or drink with tap water. CBS News reports.

In the San Francisco Bay Area, floodwaters blocked portions of several major highways, including Interstate 580 in Oakland, disrupting travel.

And in Fresno County, first responders had to rescue three women, two of whom were 80 years old, while the third was 104 years old. All the victims were trapped in their homes amid the devastating storms.

Finally, Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom declared emergencies in 34 counties in recent weeks, and the Biden administration approved a presidential disaster declaration for some on Friday morning, prompting federal assistance for “local and tribal response efforts caused by the ongoing “severe weather storms.” , floods landslides and landslides.’

The rains began to abate on Saturday, but continued with scattered thunderstorms in the Los Angeles area on Sunday.

It is expected to get worse Monday night, when another round of severe weather rolls in from an atmospheric river, known as the ‘Pineapple Express’ because it brings warm subtropical humidity across the Pacific from near Hawaii.

That storm could bring even more snow to already flooded higher mountains and more flooding to lower elevations.

“We will see additional rounds of rain and heavy snow in the mountains across much of northern and central California throughout the week,” National Weather Service meteorologist David Lawrence said.

“And we’re also likely to see this weather pattern continue as we move into the first half of next week.”

One to three inches of rain is forecast for coastal areas and valleys, KTLA reports, while mountain and foothill communities can see three to six inches.

Meanwhile, a flood warning has been issued for the entire San Francisco Bay Area and Central Coast that will go into effect Monday night and last through Wednesday morning.

And a high wind watch will be in effect for the entire region, with wind speeds of 25 to 45 mph, though gusts could reach up to 50 mph in the valleys and up to 70 mph on the coast and elevations over 1,000 feet.

There will then be a short break in the wild weather from Wednesday night through Friday morning, when another storm system is expected to roll in.

National Weather Service officials are also warning that “significant flooding” could occur, especially at lower elevations.

The California Department of Transportation is now advising drivers to be “prepared for delays and to bring extra food, water, blankets and other essentials, and to bring mobile phone chargers” as roads may be closed due to widespread flooding.