Sacramento County declares State of Emergency after storm damage exceeds $12M
(FOX40.COM) — Sacramento County Board of Supervisors recently declared a State of Emergency after damages from an atmospheric river storm reportedly exceeded over $12M in damages.
“The declaration was brought forth because the storm caused disruption to the power supplying infrastructure resulting in widespread power loss to over 200,000 utility customers,” said Sacramento County spokesperson, Matt Robinson.
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The storm happened Feb. 4 and critical facilities, communities and public spaces, individual residencies, and business were among those impacted by power outages. The declaration was made on Wednesday.
Robinson said that in addition to the damage done through the lack of electricity, the county is dealing with “destruction and debris from over 300 destroyed trees, and over 100 toppled transmission line poles.”
Over 200,000 Sacramento residents without power amid atmospheric river storm
For people who experienced property damage from previous or upcoming storms, Robinson said to “talk to your insurance agent about what recourse you might have under your policy.”
In addition, he encouraged residents to use a Sacramento County platform known as Orion to help building inspectors prioritize highly damaged buildings for inspection and occupancy.
“Listing a property in Orion is not an application for assistance to FEMA and the state does not have individual assistance programs, but this does help the county identify the extent of damages to residents and businesses,” Robinson said.
He added, “If there are more than 25 structures with damage, the County may request the Small Business Administration (SBA) to declare a disaster. Doing so would enable homeowners and businesses to seek disaster loans from SBA.”
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