This aerial photograph shows two individuals standing in a small patch of road emerging from floodwaters in Pajaro, California on Saturday, March 11, 2023. - Residents were forced to evacuate in the middle of the night after an atmospheric river surge broke the the Pajaro Levee and sent flood waters flowing into the community. (Photo by JOSH EDELSON / AFP)
This aerial photograph shows two individuals standing in a small patch of road emerging from floodwaters in Pajaro, California on Saturday, March 11, 2023. - Residents were forced to evacuate in the middle of the night after an atmospheric river surge broke the the Pajaro Levee and sent flood waters flowing into the community. (Photo by JOSH EDELSON / AFP)
This aerial photograph shows two individuals standing in a small patch of road emerging from floodwaters in Pajaro, California on Saturday, March 11, 2023. - Residents were forced to evacuate in the middle of the night after an atmospheric river surge broke the the Pajaro Levee and sent flood waters flowing into the community. (Photo by JOSH EDELSON / AFP)
This aerial photograph shows two individuals standing in a small patch of road emerging from floodwaters in Pajaro, California on Saturday, March 11, 2023. - Residents were forced to evacuate in the m

California braces for more flooding as snow rapidly melts


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At least two people have died in California after melting snow in the rocky mountains and rain caused flash flooding and burst the levee of a river.

The coastal area of Monterey county was inundated after the Pajaro river overflowed, leading authorities to call for the area to be evacuated.

Millions of people across the state are on alert for flooding due to recent heavy rain, in addition to the rapidly melting snow.

Parts of the state have been hit by a weather phenomenon known as an atmospheric river, a large plume of warm water vapour that can stretch for hundreds of kilometres and cause prolonged rainfall.

  • A flooded road in Pajaro, California, where heavy rains and melting snow have forced thousands to leave their homes. All photos: AFP
    A flooded road in Pajaro, California, where heavy rains and melting snow have forced thousands to leave their homes. All photos: AFP
  • Volunteers and emergency services workers have been helping thousands of residents to leave flooded areas
    Volunteers and emergency services workers have been helping thousands of residents to leave flooded areas
  • A resident carries his dog from their flooded home in the Pajaro area of Watsonville, California
    A resident carries his dog from their flooded home in the Pajaro area of Watsonville, California
  • At least two people have died amid the heavy rains and floods
    At least two people have died amid the heavy rains and floods
  • An unusually intense series of storms has battered California for weeks
    An unusually intense series of storms has battered California for weeks
  • A pick-up truck navigates a flooded road
    A pick-up truck navigates a flooded road
  • A flooded shop
    A flooded shop
  • Floodwaters submerge the road into Pajaro
    Floodwaters submerge the road into Pajaro
  • More rains are forecast and authorities have raised alerts
    More rains are forecast and authorities have raised alerts
  • Flooded homes, in Pajaro
    Flooded homes, in Pajaro

“We were hoping to avoid and prevent this situation, but the worst case scenario has arrived with the Pajaro River overtopping and levee breaching at about midnight,” Luis Alejo, a Monterey County supervisor, said on Twitter.

Moses, a resident of the area for about 20 years, said: “Just the noise of the fire department — their sirens and all — woke us up.”

Officials later came and knocked on his door multiple times, but he decided to wait until 5am to make a decision.

After returning home from surveying the flooding, Moses, who preferred to give only his first name, said water was beginning to cover his street.

“That's when I told my wife, 'hey, we got to get out of here,'” he said.

The area remained under a flood warning on Saturday afternoon, the National Weather Service said.

On Friday night, state emergency services director Nancy Ward announced that the storm had already claimed at least two lives.

Images posted on Twitter by the state's National Guard account showed guardsmen rescuing residents trapped in cars by high water.

At least one road was washed away in Santa Cruz County, just north of Monterey. Soquel, also in Santa Cruz, was also badly flooded and CBS reported that about 9,000 people had been evacuated there.

Residents in several towns, mostly in the north, have been ordered to evacuate.

An unusually intense series of storms has battered California for weeks.

The latest storm was expected to dump as much as 23 centimetres of rain on already saturated ground.

Atmospheric river

Part of a powerful atmospheric river known as a “Pineapple express” — for the warm, subtropical moisture it brings from Hawaii — this latest storm will speed the melting of the enormous snowpack that has built up in higher elevations.

The resulting run-off threatens to aggravate already serious flooding.

In Pajaro on Saturday, the fire department and national guard used drones to survey the flooded areas, checking for people stranded in their homes, AFP reporters saw.

Two cousins, Angel Martinez and Christian Garcia, waded through the water carrying a plastic bag of food salvaged from the kitchen.

They told AFP their neighbourhood was a “wreck,” with water one-metre deep in their backyard.

They were only able to grab phone chargers, some blankets and a first aid kit when they hastily evacuated.

US President Joe Biden on Friday approved an emergency declaration that clears the way to expedite federal aid to the western state.

Mr Biden called Governor Gavin Newsom on Saturday to reaffirm full federal support for the impact of flooding and landslides on the state, a White House pool report said.

Mr Newsom said California was “deploying every tool we have to protect communities from the relentless and deadly storms battering our state.”

Storms in January were blamed for the loss of 20 lives.

Results

5.30pm: Maiden (TB) Dh82,500 (Turf) 1,400m; Winner: Mcmanaman, Sam Hitchcock (jockey), Doug Watson (trainer)

6.05pm: Handicap (TB) Dh87,500 (T) 1,400m; Winner: Bawaasil, Sam Hitchcott, Doug Watson

6.40pm: Handicap (TB) Dh105,000 (Dirt) 1,400m; Winner: Bochart, Fabrice Veron, Satish Seemar

7.15pm: Handicap (TB) Dh105,000 (T) 1,200m; Winner: Mutaraffa, Antonio Fresu, Musabah Al Muhairi

7.50pm: Longines Stakes – Conditions (TB) Dh120,00 (D) 1,900m; Winner: Rare Ninja, Royston Ffrench, Salem bin Ghadayer

8.25pm: Zabeel Trophy – Rated Conditions (TB) Dh120,000 (T) 1,600m; Winner: Alfareeq, Antonio Fresu, Musabah Al Muhairi

9pm: Handicap (TB) Dh105,000 (T) 2,410m; Winner: Good Tidings, Antonio Fresu, Musabah Al Muhairi

9.35pm: Handicap (TB) Dh92,500 (T) 2,000m; Winner: Zorion, Abdul Aziz Al Balushi, Helal Al Alawi

 

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The burning issue

The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE.

Read part three: the age of the electric vehicle begins

Read part two: how climate change drove the race for an alternative 

Read part one: how cars came to the UAE

Jeff Buckley: From Hallelujah To The Last Goodbye
By Dave Lory with Jim Irvin

The Abu Dhabi Awards explained:

What are the awards? They honour anyone who has made a contribution to life in Abu Dhabi.

Are they open to only Emiratis? The awards are open to anyone, regardless of age or nationality, living anywhere in the world.

When do nominations close? The process concludes on December 31.

How do I nominate someone? Through the website.

When is the ceremony? The awards event will take place early next year.

Match info

Uefa Champions League Group B

Barcelona v Tottenham Hotspur, midnight

Lexus LX700h specs

Engine: 3.4-litre twin-turbo V6 plus supplementary electric motor

Power: 464hp at 5,200rpm

Torque: 790Nm from 2,000-3,600rpm

Transmission: 10-speed auto

Fuel consumption: 11.7L/100km

On sale: Now

Price: From Dh590,000

Sui Dhaaga: Made in India

Director: Sharat Katariya

Starring: Varun Dhawan, Anushka Sharma, Raghubir Yadav

3.5/5

Emergency

Director: Kangana Ranaut

Stars: Kangana Ranaut, Anupam Kher, Shreyas Talpade, Milind Soman, Mahima Chaudhry 

Rating: 2/5

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So what is Spicy Chickenjoy?

Just as McDonald’s has the Big Mac, Jollibee has Spicy Chickenjoy – a piece of fried chicken that’s crispy and spicy on the outside and comes with a side of spaghetti, all covered in tomato sauce and topped with sausage slices and ground beef. It sounds like a recipe that a child would come up with, but perhaps that’s the point – a flavourbomb combination of cheap comfort foods. Chickenjoy is Jollibee’s best-selling product in every country in which it has a presence.
 

List of UAE medal winners

Gold
Faisal Al Ketbi (Open weight and 94kg)
Talib Al Kirbi (69kg)
Omar Al Fadhli (56kg)

Silver
Zayed Al Kaabi (94kg)
Khalfan Belhol (85kg)
Zayed Al Mansoori (62kg)
Mouza Al Shamsi (49kg women)

Bronze
Yahia Mansour Al Hammadi (Open and 94kg)
Saood Al Hammadi (77kg)
Said Al Mazroui (62kg)
Obaid Al Nuaimi (56kg)
Bashayer Al Matrooshi (62kg women)
Reem Abdulkareem (45kg women)

'Worse than a prison sentence'

Marie Byrne, a counsellor who volunteers at the UAE government's mental health crisis helpline, said the ordeal the crew had been through would take time to overcome.

“It was worse than a prison sentence, where at least someone can deal with a set amount of time incarcerated," she said.

“They were living in perpetual mystery as to how their futures would pan out, and what that would be.

“Because of coronavirus, the world is very different now to the one they left, that will also have an impact.

“It will not fully register until they are on dry land. Some have not seen their young children grow up while others will have to rebuild relationships.

“It will be a challenge mentally, and to find other work to support their families as they have been out of circulation for so long. Hopefully they will get the care they need when they get home.”

Dolittle

Director: Stephen Gaghan

Stars: Robert Downey Jr, Michael Sheen

One-and-a-half out of five stars

The Byblos iftar in numbers

29 or 30 days – the number of iftar services held during the holy month

50 staff members required to prepare an iftar

200 to 350 the number of people served iftar nightly

160 litres of the traditional Ramadan drink, jalab, is served in total

500 litres of soup is served during the holy month

200 kilograms of meat is used for various dishes

350 kilograms of onion is used in dishes

5 minutes – the average time that staff have to eat
 

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Our family matters legal consultant

Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais

Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.

Jetour T1 specs

Engine: 2-litre turbocharged

Power: 254hp

Torque: 390Nm

Price: From Dh126,000

Available: Now

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Avatar: Fire and Ash

Director: James Cameron

Starring: Sam Worthington, Sigourney Weaver, Zoe Saldana

Rating: 4.5/5

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Updated: March 14, 2023, 4:26 PM