photo by Karen Laslo
Alma Miranda
by Leslie Layton
Pounding hail, bolts of lightning and tornado alarms drowned out plaintive voices of the shyest of the teens who spoke before the Chico City Council Tuesday night.
To many in the chamber, nature had also spoken in a thundering, biblical voice.
To others, of course, the racket was produced by a mere flash flood.
As rain water filled the streets of Chico, trapping a few vehicle passengers and flooding some homes and businesses, the City Council voted 5-1 to pass a resolution declaring a climate emergency. It commits the city to act on climate change and prepare for extreme weather events.