President Biden approved California’s request for a major disaster declaration to support California recovery efforts. a series of February storms that drenched much of the state with historic rain and mountain snow and resulted in numerous deaths, authorities announced Sunday.
Nine California counties — Butte, Glenn, Los Angeles, Monterey, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, Santa Cruz, Sutter and Ventura — will receive federal aid as a result of the declaration, which also includes funding for state hazard mitigation efforts, officials said. . .
“This declaration brings more resources to local communities across the state recovering from the widespread impacts of these storms,” Gov. Gavin Newsom said in a statement thanking the Biden administration for its support.
At least 11 people died as a result of the storms, which caused widespread flooding, power outages, school closures and damage to critical infrastructure, Newsom wrote in his request for a disaster declaration.
In San Luis Obispo County, where two tornadoes struck, storms damaged eight steel doors at the fire department and the roof and gutters of the Grover Beach Police Department, and high waves caused extensive structural damage to the Cayucos pier, compromising its integrity,” Newsom wrote.
In Santa Barbara County, strong winds damaged homes in Goleta and tore off part of a windmill in Solvang, and rain overwhelmed concrete channels that divert water from residential areas, destroying 300 linear feet of them, Newsom wrote. Sediment from debris flows filled three debris basins to near capacity, threatening to flood an airport runway, and a section of the Zanja de Cota creek channel bank collapsed, sending trees and debris into the waterway in the reserve Chumash indigenous people, Newsom wrote.
In Ventura County, flooding damaged roads, bridges, levees and park facilities, flooding the Ventura Wastewater Facility and causing water to back up into the system, Newsom wrote. Flooding also overwhelmed culverts and destroyed a fish passage basin that allows steelhead to travel along the Ventura River, while debris flows blocked roads and overloaded debris basins with sediment. The Ventura River flooded and altered its course, with the new path destroying a road and embankment and destroying an above-ground water distribution system, Newsom wrote.
Los Angeles County saw hundreds of debris flows, prompting evacuations. The Hyperion Water Recovery Plant was flooded with stormwater, which caused excess pressure in a sewer line that sent sewage from manhole covers, flooding parts of the facility and at one point causing the filtration system to shut down, he wrote. Newsom. The storm also damaged electrical equipment in a building, forcing the plant to borrow power to continue operations, he wrote.
In Santa Cruz County, strong winds toppled a eucalyptus tree, rupturing a 10-inch steel overhead sewer line, and strong waves damaged a municipal pier in the city of Santa Cruz, destroying a portion of its deck, Newsom wrote.
In Monterey County, heavy rains in burn scars sent silt and debris into catch basins and stormwater conveyance systems, overwhelming them and resulting in tens of thousands of cubic yards of material that had to be trucked for long periods of time. disposal distances, Newsom wrote.
In Butte County, wind and rain toppled trees, damaging roads and guardrails and at least one culvert. The worst of the damage was in the scars of the Bear and Camp fires, which cover about 40% of the county, Newsom wrote. Glenn County’s airport was damaged by heavy rain, while Sutter County’s Yuba Fairgrounds was severely damaged when a 15-foot redwood tree fell onto a restroom building.
This story originally appeared on Los Angeles Times.
