President Biden has approved California's request for a major disaster declaration to support recovery efforts from a series of February storms that drenched much of the state in historic rain and mountain snow and resulted in numerous deaths, officials 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 announcement, which also includes funding for state-level hazard mitigation efforts, officials said. .
“This announcement brings more resources to communities across the state to recover 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 touched down, the storm surge destroyed eight steel firehouse doors and the roof and gutters of the Grover Beach Police Department, and high waves caused significant structural damage to the Cayucos Pier, compromising its integrity, Newsom wrote. .
In Santa Barbara County, high winds destroyed homes in Goleta and tore off part of a windmill in Solvang, and rain flooded concrete culverts that divert water from residential areas, destroying 300 linear feet of them, Newsom wrote. Sediment from debris flows filled three debris basins to nearly capacity, threatening to flood the airport runway, and part of the bank of the Zaña de Cota Creek channel collapsed, sending trees and debris into the waterway on the Chumash Indian Reservation, Newsom wrote.
In Ventura County, flooding damaged roads, bridges, levees and park facilities, flooding the Ventura wastewater facility and causing water to overflow into the system, Newsom wrote. Floods also overwhelmed sewers and washed out a side fish pond that enabled steelhead to move along the Ventura River, while debris flows blocked roads and flooded debris basins with sediment. The Ventura River overflowed and changed course, with the new course washing away a road and a bridge and destroying the above-ground water distribution system, Newsom wrote.
Los Angeles County saw hundreds of debris flows, prompting evacuations. Newsom wrote that the Hyperion Water Reclamation Plant was flooded with rainwater, causing pressure build-up in the sewer line that caused sewage to rise from manhole covers, flooding parts of the facility and at one point causing the filtration system to shut down. He added that the storm also destroyed electrical equipment in one of the buildings, forcing the station to borrow power to continue operations.
In Santa Cruz County, high winds toppled a eucalyptus tree, snapping a 10-inch-diameter pneumatic sewer pipe, and strong waves damaged a municipal pier in the city of Santa Cruz, causing part of its deck to collapse, Newsom wrote.
In Monterey County, heavy rains in burn scars sent silt and debris into catch basins and stormwater conveyor systems, flooding them and resulting in tens of thousands of cubic yards of material that had to be trucked long distances for disposal, Newsom wrote.
In Butte County, wind and rain toppled trees, damaging roads, guardrails and at least one culvert. The worst damage occurred in the burn scars from the Bear and Camp fires, which cover nearly 40% of the county, Newsom wrote. The Glynn County Airport was damaged by heavy rain, while the Yuba Fairgrounds in Sutter County was severely damaged when a 15-foot redwood tree fell on the restroom building.
