Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass signed a declaration of a local emergency Monday as the city continues to be blasted with heavy rain and wind, Paralel.Az reports citing CNN.

The emergency declaration will “help our response and ensure that the city has the required resources to respond to the storm now, but also in the recovery period,” Bass said during a news conference Monday.

The mayor commended first responders response to the severe storm while also urging residents heed evacuation orders.

“With unprecedented rain, came unprecedented preparation – and now, comes unprecedented response,” Bass said. “All through the night, firefighters, police officers, street repair crews, traffic engineers, parks and rec staff and the entire city family have worked to address this storm.”

“I do have to say that we have had to rescue individuals in certain neighborhoods because they did not follow the evacuation orders. We ask that when notified that you need to evacuate, please do that so you do not end up needing to be rescued," she added.

The rainfall total in Los Angeles is already ranking among the top five two-day stretches in the history of weather records in the city, which span nearly 150 years.