Severe storms have raged in the US state of California in recent weeks. At least two homeless people died. The cases once again bring the catastrophic situation of the homeless into the public eye.
Devastating winter storms in California have killed at least two homeless people. Both deaths occurred in Sacramento, where winds hit nearly 60 mph over the weekend, leaving thousands of people without power at times. This is reported by several media, including the “LA Times”.
Rebekah Rohde, 40, died last Saturday after a tree fell on her tent on the American River. Steven Sorensen, 61, died on Sunday after being killed by a falling tree in his tent.
Severe winter storms in California: Already 17 dead – many homeless people have to endure outdoors
The deaths once again draw public attention to the extreme conditions facing California’s more than 116,000 homeless people.
At least 17 people have died across California since the storms began last week. Torrential rains and high winds have flooded rivers, uprooted trees and downed power lines. Tens of thousands of people had to flee the extreme weather. President Joe Biden has declared a state of emergency for the state. Authorities set up shelters “to support the most vulnerable Californians,” Biden said.
From San Francisco to San Diego, many homeless people are staying outdoors despite the storms. A few emergency shelters have been set up under public pressure to protect people on the streets from the dangerous conditions.
The city of San Jose last week ordered homeless people to vacate their shelters if they were camping near rivers or creeks because of the risk of flooding. In the city of Ontario, east of Los Angeles, authorities have offered homeless people living near river courses hotel vouchers to take shelter during the extreme weather. Three homeless people died there in the floods during a storm in November.
Sacramento County with highest number of deaths
Sacramento County has had more deaths than any other county in the state, with five confirmed deaths, the governor’s office for emergency services said. Three of the dead were discovered in flooded vehicles after a storm on New Year’s Eve. Rain and wind caused downed trees and fallen branches in the area and in the city of Sacramento.
Bob Erlenbusch is executive director of the Sacramento Regional Coalition to End Homelessness, a nonprofit organization dedicated to advocating for the homeless. He warns: “The dangers for the homeless are particularly acute in recent weather extremes.”
He further explained: “It’s appalling. More than 7,000 people are trying to survive the rain and high winds. What little survival gear they have is being blown away pretty quickly.”
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The city has sent workers to homeless camps to advise people to move their tents away from the flood-prone levees and is offering free transportation to city heat centers. “We have room for you,” the city’s mayor, Darrell Steinberg, said in a video outside one of the centers on Sunday.
“An unaccommodated woman lost her life on the American River last night. It’s terrible. It’s tragic and we must do everything we can to make sure there are no more deaths,” Steinberg said.
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Meanwhile, volunteers are scrambling to provide those living on the streets with essential supplies such as blankets, coats, sleeping bags and sandbags, and to encourage people to turn to heat stations. However, as the Sacramento Bee reports, there are fewer than 1,000 places in the warm centers and just 2,300 total shelters in the region, which has seen an unprecedented rise in homelessness in recent years.
Homeless in Sacramento up nearly 70 percent as city cracks down on them
The number of homeless residents in the city has increased by almost 70 percent since 2019. It is estimated that at least 9,278 people are homeless, most of whom are sleeping outdoors, many in tents on levees or in vehicles.
The number of weather-related homeless deaths in Sacramento is rising sharply, Erlenbusch, whose organization tracks homeless deaths in the region, told the British Guardian. Eight homeless people froze to death in the city last year. “Until last year we had no weather-related deaths. Unfortunately, that has become the new normal,” says Erlenbusch.
Despite the catastrophic conditions, the authorities are still taking repressive action against the homeless. Homeless camps are reportedly still being cleared in San Francisco, in violation of a court order. For the past week, the city of Sacramento has reportedly towed RVs, leaving homeless people without any shelter, Erlenbusch said.
There is currently no improvement in sight. Meteorologists are also expecting heavy rainfall and high wind speeds in California for the coming days. Erlenbusch fears for the health of the homeless:
“I hope that the counseling center staff will remind the homeless not to leave their belongings in their tents. People who are soaked to the bone can easily get pneumonia and die. I hope people are careful up,” he said.
Sources: LA Times, The Guardians, Recordnet.com, Sacramento Bee