Calaveras Eligible To Receive State Aid For Storm Cleanup
San Andreas, CA — With a 5-0 vote, the Calaveras County Board of Supervisors ratified a local state of emergency declaration related to last week’s winter storm system.
The move came after Calaveras Office of Emergency Services Coordinator John Osbourn declared the local state of emergency back on December 29 and the following day Governor Newsom signed a state declaration for 20 counties, including Calaveras.
Others on the list were Amador, Alameda, El Dorado, Humboldt, Lake, Los Angeles, Marin, Monterey, Napa, Nevada, Orange, Placer, Sacramento, San Bernardino, San Luis Obispo, San Mateo, Santa Cruz, Sierra and Yuba.
At a special meeting yesterday to ratify the declaration, Osbourn stated that Calaveras will now have access to state disaster assistance act revenue. How it will work is not immediately clear, and he noted that most counties impacted are still in the process of digging out and assessing the damage.
In Calaveras County, officials said there was a coordinated effort responding to storm impacts between OES, law enforcement, fire departments, the road department, behavioral health, administration, PG&E, water districts and others.
Federal funding could also become available if Governor Newsom decides to request a national emergency declaration from the Biden administration. Osbourn indicated it is a possibility since Nevada and Oregon also reported significant storm damage.
Locally, Calaveras reported numerous downed trees, power outages, mudslides, and road impacts.
