Gov. Brown Declares 'State of Emergency' in San Mateo County

By Bay City News Service:

Two Bay Area counties may get help from the state to repair and reconstruct highways after Gov. Jerry Brown declared a state of emergency in those counties Monday, according to the Governor’s office.

Brown has ordered Caltrans to request immediate help through the Federal Highway Administration’s Emergency Relief Program for repairs and reconstruction in Marin and San Mateo counties in the Bay Area.

Mendocino and Ventura counties also received a declaration.

Mudflows, debris, floods and erosion from the recent rainstorms and windstorms in the Bay Area caused the road and highway damage, the declaration says.

The governor said local governments do not have or are unlikely to have the resources to handle the effects of the storms.

He said storm damage has created conditions of “extreme peril to the safety of persons and property.”

Marin County officials voted to declare a local state of emergency December 16 and San Mateo County officials declared a local state of emergency Friday.

San Mateo County Board of Supervisors president Dave Pine said the local declaration “includes the legally required request to the Governor to also proclaim a state of emergency and make state disaster relief funds available to the County.”

Officials with San Mateo County said they have estimated damages from the storms to be more than $3.3 million. Marin County officials did not provide an estimate of the damages to the county.

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