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In a letter to President Barack Obama dated July 13, Gov. Jerry Brown asked that his request for a major federal disaster declaration – which the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) denied – be reconsidered.
“I respectfully seek your favorable consideration of this appeal and request that you declare a major disaster for California as a result of the March storm system event,” he wrote.
Current estimates of the damage caused by the storm now exceed $51 million, Brown's office said.
Brown's request for a presidential major disaster declaration was made on April 22, and denied by FEMA on June 21, the Governor's Office reported.
Brown said he made the request because of the results of a severe storm system that struck California between March 15 and March 27.
The governor's letter said the March storm system's precipitation levels indicate it was the third-wettest storm event in 90 years.
He's asking Obama to grant his request for public assistance and direct federal assistance for the significantly-impacted counties, as well as statewide Hazard Mitigation Grant Program funding.
The impacted counties where Brown had declared states of emergency include Alameda, Amador, Butte, Contra Costa, Del Norte, Humboldt, Madera, Mariposa, Mendocino, Monterey, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, Santa Cruz, Sierra, Stanislaus, Sutter, Trinity, Tuolumne and Ventura counties. Marin County was added to the list on Wednesday.
Brown's letter pointed out that California has suffered multiple disasters in the last 18 months due to severe winter storms, flooding, mudslides, fires, drought, heavy rains and earthquakes.
He told the president that the storms have had “significant and overwhelming” impacts at the local level, adding, “the fierce storm system stressed California’s mutual aid system and exhausted local resources in many areas of the state.” One example, Del Norte County completely exhausted its road department resources.
FEMA’s denial letter stated its opinion that the storm incident was comprised of three separate storms but Brown said that the National Weather Service and the California Department of Water Resources have concluded that the series of severe winter storms was part of the same parent intense low-pressure system.
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