A firefighter goes door to door in Soquel to make sure all are safe along a flooded Porter Street on Saturday afternoon. (Shmuel Thaler – Santa Cruz Sentinel)
SANTA CRUZ — Santa Cruz County declared a local state of emergency Tuesday night in response to widespread infrastructural damage caused by last week’s atmospheric river storm.
It estimates it has sustained at least $10 million in damages already and the financial burden of repairs is “beyond the county’s ability to fund.” According to a county release, this estimate may get even higher, as it continues to assess damages from last week’s event.
The declaration will allow the county to request disaster assistance funding through the California Disaster Assistance Act, which can assist with public infrastructure repairs. For this to happen, the county’s Board of Supervisors must first approve the action, which it is expected to do at its first meeting of the year Jan. 10, according to the release.
The storm, which struck the county Dec. 30-31, caused flooding, mudslides, debris flows and extensive road damage including failure at Glenwood Drive, Granite Creek Road and Highland Way, according to a county release. There was also extensive flooding in Soquel Village and Corralitos and Salsipuedes creeks.
But the county was quick to remind that the emergency has not yet passed. Another massive storm system of equal or greater strength is on track to hit the county – and broader Bay Area – Wednesday and Thursday. Heavy rainfall has already saturated local soils, which will increase the risk of flooding and landslides. Conditions are also expected to be windy, which will likely lead to more downed branches and trees.
The county expects the cost of damages will continue to increase with the coming storm.
Storm-related information is at co.santa-cruz.ca.us/OR3/Emergency.aspx
Originally published at Pk Hattis