California Governor Jerry Brown on Monday declared a state of emergency in 50 of the 58 counties in his state after days of rain ravaged roads and causing significant flood that has taken lives and caused millions of dollars in damages. The declarations allow the counties to request funds from federal agencies to start clean-up of the debris and damage
(Jan 24)----California Gov. Jerry
Brown on Monday requested federal
assistance for most of the counties of his state, which are experiencing with
flooding, overflowing creeks and damaged roads due to weeks of rain.
Brown declared a
state of emergency in 50 of
California's 58 counties to request immediate help from the Federal Highway
Administration and Office of Emergency Services to help counties start clearing
and repairing damage caused by flooding, mudslides, erosion and debris on roads
and highways.
"It's been a heck of a few
days," Dan Gregoria, a forecaster at the National Weather Service, told the San Diego Union Tribune. "We've had everything
from falling trees to creeks overrunning their banks. This has had a big impact
on Southern California."
In San Diego County, flooding from the Santa Margarita River and
overflowing creeks throughout the region have caused flooding, making some
roads impassable and knocking power out in many neighborhoods. Two people have
already been declared dead there, one, a man pulled from a swollen creek and
the other, a woman swept out into the ocean off cliffs in Ocean Beach.
"I've been here 15 years and have actually watched cars get
washed off the road while they try to cross," said Rick Uhler, who lives
near the creek where the man was pulled from an overturned car. "It was
the worst I've ever seen. This is a tragedy."
Roads and highways farther north in Central Coast -- the San
Joaquin Valley and Bay Area also were mentioned in Brown's emergency orders -- and several northern counties that
have been pounded by rain since early January also were included in the
proclamations of emergency.
The full list of counties where Brown declared a state of emergency includes: Alameda, Alpine, Butte,
Calaveras, Contra Costa, El Dorado, Fresno, Humboldt, Inyo, Kern, Kings, Lake,
Lassen, Los Angeles, Madera, Marin, Mendocino, Merced, Modoc, Monterey, Napa,
Nevada, Orange, Placer, Plumas, Sacramento, San Benito, San Bernardino, San
Diego, San Francisco, San Luis Obispo, San Mateo, Santa Barbara, Santa Clara,
Santa Cruz, Shasta, Sierra, Siskiyou, Solano, Sonoma, Stanislaus, Sutter,
Tehama, Trinity, Tulare, Tuolumne, Ventura, Yolo, Yuba and Del Norte.
Forecasters said it appeared the storm system was dissipating on
Monday, with far less rain expected Tuesday before drying out on Wednesday.
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