Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Dan Rohn. A state of emergency has been declared in six

Southern California counties because of relentless rains and high winds that are pounding the region.

The declaration will free up resources for first responders and other emergency teams.

All across much of the region, it is being devastated by the impact of the downpours, fueled

by atmospheric rivers.

Alameda resident Michael Burdick says he's trying to prepare for that flooding.

We got some sandbags, but we figured with this whole downpour coming for the next couple

days, we have a pool, so the pool

might overflow, and then plus we have all the debris from up there from up in the fire area.

So I was just like, I can go out, grab some sandbags, you know, so we're safe because our

house is like a little bit lower, so that slope. So the water can.

Back in 2016...

The high water has made portions of Interstate 5 and the Ventura Freeway in the Los Angeles area.

Impossible.

Markets will be closed on Thursday for the Christmas holiday trading resumes Friday morning at 9.30 Eastern

time. On Wednesday, the holiday trading was shortened because on Wall Street, the indexes, though,

closed up, the Dow, the S&P, and the NASDAQ finished fractionally higher. The markets will be

closed Thursday for Christmas. The Dow gained six-tenths of a point. The NASDAQ edged two-tenths of a point.

The S&P added three-tenths of a point as well.

Millions of Americans will be flying this holiday season. NPR's Joel Rose reports

the airlines are hoping to avoid a repeat of IT meltdowns that have disrupted the aviation

industry.

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