Governor Brown Declares State of Emergency in Counties Across California Following Severe Winter Storms

SACRAMENTO – Governor Edmund G. Brown Jr. today issued two emergency proclamations to secure funding to help communities respond to and recover from severe winter storms that have caused flooding, mudslides, erosion, debris flow and damage to roads and highways.

The emergency proclamations issued due to January and December storms – for the counties of 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 – 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 local governments.

Attested copies of the January and December storms emergency proclamations can be found here and here. The full text of the proclamations is below:

PROCLAMATION OF A STATE OF EMERGENCY

WHEREAS beginning on January 3, 2017, a storm system resulting from an atmospheric river swept across California, bringing high winds, substantial precipitation, and flooding, which has severely impacted counties throughout the State; and

WHEREAS due to extreme drought conditions throughout the State, this storm system caused dangerous flash flooding, erosion, and substantial mud and debris flows; and

WHEREAS this storm system caused damage to roads and highways throughout the State; and

WHEREAS state and local officials are still assessing the full scope of the damage caused by these storms, with preliminary estimates totaling tens of millions of dollars; and

WHEREAS the circumstances of the storm damage, by reason of their magnitude, are or are likely to be beyond the control of the services, personnel, equipment and facilities of any single local government and require the combined forces of a mutual aid region or regions to combat; and

WHEREAS under the provisions of section 8558(b) of the California Government Code, I find that conditions of extreme peril to the safety of persons and property exist due to the storm damage in 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, and Yuba counties.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, EDMUND G. BROWN JR., Governor of the State of California, in accordance with the authority vested in me by the state Constitution and statutes, including the California Emergency Services Act, and in particular, section 8625 of the California Government Code, HEREBY PROCLAIM A STATE OF EMERGENCY to exist within 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, and Yuba counties.

IT IS HEREBY ORDERED THAT:

1. The California Department of Transportation shall formally request immediate assistance through the Federal Highway Administration’s Emergency Relief Program, Title 23, United States Code section 125, in order to obtain federal assistance for highway repairs or reconstruction.

2. The Office of Emergency Services shall provide assistance to the counties, as appropriate and based upon damage assessments received from local governments, under the authority of the California Disaster Assistance Act, California Government Code section 8680 et seq. and California Code of Regulations, Title 19, section 2900 et seq.

3. All agencies of the state government utilize and employ state personnel, equipment, and facilities for the performance of any and all activities related to this state of emergency consistent with the direction of my Office of Emergency Services and the State Emergency Plan.

I FURTHER DIRECT that as soon as hereafter possible, this proclamation be filed in the Office of the Secretary of State and that widespread publicity and notice be given of this proclamation.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF I have hereunto set my hand and caused the Great Seal of the State of California to be affixed this 23rd day of January 2017.

_____________________________
EDMUND G. BROWN JR.
Governor of California

ATTEST:

_____________________________
ALEX PADILLA
Secretary of State

PROCLAMATION OF A STATE OF EMERGENCY

WHEREAS beginning on December 9, 2016, a series of rainstorms swept across California, bringing high winds, substantial precipitation, and flooding, which have severely impacted Del Norte, Humboldt, Mendocino, Shasta, Santa Cruz, and Trinity counties; and

WHEREAS due to the extreme drought conditions throughout the state, these storms caused dangerous flash flooding, erosion, and substantial mud and debris flows; and

WHEREAS these storms caused damage to roads and highways in Del Norte, Humboldt, Mendocino, Shasta, Santa Cruz, and Trinity counties; and