January 06, 2008	Sunday	Zilhaj 26, 1428

SAN FRANCISCO: Hundreds of thousands of people across California remained without power early on Saturday following a severe storm that pummeled the region with hurricane-force winds, driving rain and heavy snow.

More than 600,000 homes from San Francisco to Los Angeles were experiencing electricity outages early on Saturday, power company officials said, one day after the Pacific storm roared into the state.

San Francisco bore the brunt of Friday’s weather, which dumped up to eight inches of rain in the worst-hit areas and saw winds in excess of 100 miles per hour, according to National Weather Service Figures.

More than 400 trees were uprooted as winds battered the city, prompting officials to declare a local state of emergency, although there were no reports of fatalities or injuries.

A spokesman for Pacific Gas and Electric said 615,000 households and businesses in northern California were affected by power outages and warned that it may take days for full service to be restored.

The storm also forced the closure of several major highways and intermittently disrupted mass transit systems throughout the San Francisco area, weather service bulletins reported.

The Sierra Nevada and Lake Tahoe basin areas were enveloped by snowstorms, with up to five feet falling in some areas, the National Weather Service reported on its website.—AFP