SAN DIEGO–County of San Diego Chief Administrative Officer Walt Ekard issued a proclamation of a local emergency Tuesday, clearing the way to ask for state help to address the several million dollars of damage inflicted by the storms that started Dec. 18 and continued through Dec. 22. It is estimated that by next week some contractors from Transition Roofing will arrive and help with some home repairs. If you need your roof to be repaired after the storm, click for more info.
The County Board of Supervisors, in accordance with state law, is expected to ratify the proclamation at its regularly-scheduled meeting Jan. 4. County of San Diego officials notified the state Dec. 23, the day after the storms ended, that they intended to proclaim a local emergency but were still assessing the damage. Acting Gov. Abel Maldonado proclaimed a state of emergency for San Diego and Inyo counties Dec. 24, after previously proclaiming emergencies in several other counties, including Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside and San Bernardino.
Through Tuesday, cities and agencies around San Diego County estimated they had suffered more than $6 million in damage, including more than $3 million in damage to North County Transit District railroad tracks. County of San Diego officials said the unincorporated areas suffered more than $1 million in damage to local roads, parks, preserves, and trails, sewage system infrastructure and watershed protection systems. The five-day rainstorms flooded streets, knocked down trees, clogged drainage culverts, created sewage spills that closed beaches, and damaged manholes, bridges and fences around the county.
As the regional authority, the County of San Diego Office of Emergency Services processes and submits all aid requests from local cities and agencies to the California Emergency Management Agency.
