Newsom expands storm state of emergency to East Bay county, three otherss

Across the state, counties have been scrambling to recover from the aftermath of last winter’s severe storms. To help, Gov. Gavin Newsom has declared a state of emergency in four more counties, including Contra Costa County, in addition to the 47 already included in an earlier state of emergency.

The winter storms caused severe destruction, with record snowfall accumulations in the mountains, flooding, power outages, high winds, numerous downed trees, hazardous debris flows, mudslides, landslides and levee failures. Hundreds of homes, structures and roadways were damaged or destroyed, including major highways.

Contra Costa County, along with Riverside, San Diego and Yolo counties, is now eligible for disaster relief through the President Biden Presidential Emergency Declaration and the Presidential Major Disaster Declaration.  

The declaration makes affected residents eligible for several federal programs, including housing assistance, food aid, counseling, and medical and legal services.

In a statement, Newsom expressed his appreciation for the additional resources provided by the federal Major Disaster Declaration, which will help the state and its partners help communities that have been severely affected by the winter storms.

“First responders and state personnel are on the ground in hard-hit regions across California to assist the ongoing response and recovery. We are committed to supporting our communities over the long haul and thank the Biden Administration for their continued partnership,” he said.

The declaration includes assistance to state, tribal and local governments for emergency response and recovery costs, as well as hazard mitigation.

The latest disaster declaration from FEMA issued on April 17 offers aid to eligible households to replace or fix damaged property, and low-interest disaster loans to businesses, homeowners and renters.