SACRAMENTO – (3/7/2017) Governor Edmund G. Brown Jr. requested a Presidential Major Disaster Declaration to bolster state and local recovery efforts following late January storms that caused major flooding, mudslides, power outages and damage to critical infrastructure across California. Governor Brown today also issued two emergency proclamations due to storms in late January and February – for the counties of Alameda, Alpine, Amador, Butte, Calaveras, Colusa, Del Norte, El Dorado, Fresno, Glenn, Humboldt, Kern, Kings, Lake, Lassen, Los Angeles, Marin, Mariposa, Mendocino, Merced, Modoc, Monterey, Napa, Nevada, Placer, Plumas, Sacramento, San Benito, San Bernardino, San Diego, San Joaquin, San Luis Obispo, San Mateo, Santa Barbara, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, Shasta, Sierra, Siskiyou, Sonoma, Stanislaus, Sutter, Tehama, Trinity, Tuolumne, Ventura, Yolo, Yuba, Contra Costa, Orange, Riverside, San Francisco and Solano – which direct Caltrans to formally request immediate assistance through the Federal Highway Administration’s Emergency Relief Program. The proclamations also direct the Office of Emergency Services to provide assistance to specified counties as a result of the late January storms. Damage assessments for the February storms and for the damaged spillway at Oroville Dam are ongoing.
Today’s request follows two other separate Presidential Major Disaster Declaration requests – granted last month – to support the response and recovery efforts for the situation at Oroville Dam and the impacts of the early January storm system. In addition to today’s action, Governor Brown has issued emergency declarations connected to storms in December and early January and Oroville Dam. Last month, Governor Brown announced a four-point plan to bolster dam safety and flood protection statewide. The Governor’s request for a Presidential Major Disaster Declaration due to late January storms can be found here and the full text of the emergency proclamations issued today can be found here and here.