Crushed by falling trees. Drowned in floodwaters. The deadly toll of California storms worsens
The deadly toll from California storms grows to 18
![FILLMORE CA - JANUARY 11: In an aerial view, workers inspect a railway bridge over Hopper Creek that is covered in storm debris on January 11, 2023 near Fillmore, California. A series of powerful storms continue to pound California in striking contrast to the past three years of severe to extreme drought experienced by most of the state. The storms are damaging yet bringing heavy rainfall totals which, though not expected to end the drought, is helping to refill reservoirs that have shrunken to historic low levels because of drought. (Photo by David McNew/Getty Images)](https://ca-times.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/0429326/2147483647/strip/true/crop/5000x3331+0+0/resize/1440x959!/quality/75/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcalifornia-times-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fb4%2F4e%2F65db77ed4da18db2d3b0c66d2b82%2Fgettyimages-1246160370.jpg)
Seen in an aerial view, workers inspect a railway bridge over Hopper Creek that is covered in storm debris near Fillmore on Wednesday. (David McNew / Getty Images)
![A man shovels mud from a friend's driveway](https://ca-times.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/f89a26f/2147483647/strip/true/crop/7187x4791+0+0/resize/1440x960!/quality/75/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcalifornia-times-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fd2%2Fd9%2Ff240e3b34993940ca94c69a73bd9%2Fap23010751765197.jpg)
Matt O’Brien shovels mud from a friend’s driveway after the San Lorenzo River overflowed in the Felton Grove neighborhood of Felton on Tuesday, Jan. 10, 2023. (Nic Coury / Associated Press)
![Two Chatsworth residents view a sinkhole that swallowed two cars](https://ca-times.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/f8938a2/2147483647/strip/true/crop/4522x3015+0+0/resize/1440x960!/quality/75/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcalifornia-times-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F3b%2F19%2F01a9a18246818e49c929cae95e78%2F1240448-me-storm-coverage07-ja.jpg)
Two Chatsworth residents view the sinkhole that swallowed two cars on Iverson Road south of Zaltana Street, beneath the 118 Freeway in Chatsworth, on Tuesday, Jan. 10, 2023 . (Jason Armond / Los Angeles Times)
![A lone person walks near driftwood storm debris washed up on a beach](https://ca-times.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/90f34f0/2147483647/strip/true/crop/5696x3646+0+0/resize/1440x922!/quality/75/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcalifornia-times-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F36%2Fd2%2F515be3a94027a7d81cddf3349657%2Fgettyimages-1455798586.jpg)
A lone person walks near driftwood storm debris washed up in front of the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk amusement park in Santa Cruz on Wednesday, January 11, 2023 . (Mario Tama / Getty Images)
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![City of Los Angeles Bureau of Street Services workers remove branches from an oak tree that was destroyed due to a mudslide](https://ca-times.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/eda6e38/2147483647/strip/true/crop/2800x1867+0+0/resize/1440x960!/quality/75/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcalifornia-times-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F95%2F4f%2F1766c7114b10971ed9feb9ec6270%2F1240998-me-storm-folo2-mam.jpg)
Erick Quiroa, foreground, left, with the City of Los Angeles Bureau of Street Services, helps to remove branches from an oak tree that was destroyed due to a mudslide above Nichols Canyon Rd. on Wednesday.
(Mel Melcon / Los Angeles Times)
![Floodwaters cover streets in the Planada community of Merced County](https://ca-times.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/e41d022/2147483647/strip/true/crop/4777x2962+0+0/resize/1440x893!/quality/75/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcalifornia-times-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F96%2Fdd%2Fb34171ae45f38621907756bf8bec%2Fap23011098066521.jpg)
Following days of rain, floodwaters cover streets in the Planada community of Merced County, on Tuesday, Jan. 10, 2023. (Noah Berger / Associated Press)