LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – The granting of a major disaster declaration for California is expected to help local agencies pay for repairs and recovery from this winter’s storms and flooding.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency announced that President Donald Trump approved the major disaster declaration and the resulting federal disaster assistance to the state of California to supplement state, tribal and local recovery efforts in the areas affected by severe winter storms, flooding and mudslides from Feb. 1 to 23.

Gov. Jerry Brown had asked for the declaration last month to help dozens of counties, including Lake, as Lake County News has reported.

Lake County was hit particularly hard by the storms, which caused Clear Lake’s level to stay in flood stage for a month and led to mandatory evacuations in parts of the city of Lakeport.

Lakeport City Manager Margaret Silveira told Lake County News that the city – which had significant damage from the storms and flooding – is already working to acquire the federal funding.

Silveira said representatives of FEMA and the California Office of Emergency Services were in Lakeport on Monday for a kick-off meeting to begin the assessments necessary for the city to receive the federal assistance.

City facilities that sustained major impacts included Library Park, where the seawall and nearby sidewalks were damaged, the sod was raised and the gravel on walkways was washed away, according to reports to the Lakeport City Council from Public Works Director Doug Grider.

The city also had to set up a portable pump station because of flood water intruding into the sewer system through Will-O-Point Resort’s sewer system.

It’s also expected that the county of Lake will pursue the emergency funding, as county infrastructure – including roads and the sewer facilities – were impacted. Notably, the Nice-Lucerne Cutoff was closed for weeks because of the flooding.

Lake County Public Works Director Scott De Leon told Lake County News in a March interview that early assessments suggested damage to county-maintained roads ranged between $5 million and $7 million.

Special Districts Administrator Jan Coppinger said the storm and flooding impacts required the use of pumper trucks throughout most of February and the early part of March to keep the sewer system from overflows. However, the water and sewer infrastructure itself didn’t sustain any damage.

She said Special Districts spent an estimated $700,000 on pumper trucks and septic hauling alone during February and March.

Coppinger said the county will ask the California Office of Emergency Services for reimbursement to cover those costs – an emergency measure to prevent catastrophic sewer spills – which weren’t budgeted. In the meantime, Special Districts has had to cancel some maintenance and other projects to cover the hauling costs.

FEMA said the declaration makes federal funding available to state, tribal, and eligible local governments and certain private nonprofit organizations on a cost-sharing basis for emergency work and the repair or replacement of facilities damaged by severe winter storms, flooding and mudslides in Alameda, Alpine, Amador, Butte, Calaveras, Colusa, Contra Costa, Del Norte, El Dorado, Glenn, Humboldt, Kings, Lake, Lassen, Marin, Mariposa, Merced, Modoc, Monterey, Napa, Nevada, Plumas, Sacramento, San Benito, San Joaquin, San Luis Obispo, San Mateo, Santa Barbara, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, Shasta, Sierra, Siskiyou, Solano, Sonoma, Stanislaus, Sutter, Tehama, Trinity, Tuolumne, Yolo, and Yuba counties.

Federal funding also is available on a cost-sharing basis for hazard mitigation measures statewide, the agency said.

Timothy J. Scranton has been named as the federal coordinating officer for federal recovery operations in the affected area.

Scranton said additional designations may be made at a later date if warranted by the results of damage assessments.

FEMA said the federal declaration provides for payment of not less than 75 percent of the eligible costs for debris removal and emergency protective measures taken to save lives and protect property and public health.  Emergency protective measures assistance is available to state, tribal and eligible local governments on a cost-sharing basis.

It also pays for not less than 75 percent of the following:

–  Eligible costs for repairing or replacing damaged public facilities, such as roads, bridges, utilities, buildings, schools, recreational areas, and similar publicly owned property, as well as certain private non-profit organizations engaged in community service activities.
– Approved costs for hazard mitigation projects undertaken by state, tribal, and local governments to prevent or reduce long-term risk to life and property from natural or technological disasters.

Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, or Lake County News, @LakeCoNews.