Damage to public property in Tuolumne County and other costs associated with massive winter storms since late December topped at least $6.2 million, according to initial estimates provided by the county Office of Emergency Services on Friday.
The county has also received reports about damage to seven homes and two businesses caused by the storms, and wants to hear from anybody else who suffered damages in hopes of making a case for state and federal disaster assistance.
“We definitely want to keep track of and make sure CalOES (the California Office of Emergency Services) and FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency) know what the total numbers are for businesses and residences as well, so we’re asking the public’s help for that,” Dore Bietz, the county OES coordinator, said in a media briefing Friday.
Bietz wasn’t sure about the exact dollar amount that makes a county eligible for being included in an emergency declaration to help cover costs, but FEMA generally requires damage to at least 25 structures before providing disaster assistance to individuals.
“Hopefully most folks have insurance that will cover a lot of the damages, but there might be other services available to them as a result of being named in that disaster declaration,” she said.
Officials from CalOES and FEMA will come out to survey any reported damages before determining whether they qualify for assistance, Bietz said.
The $6.2 million estimate that Bietz had tallied as of Friday included storm damage to any public property, such as roads, government buildings and utility infrastructure, as well as costs related to preparation, response and recovery.
“It includes the debris removal by any of the public entities, damage to roads, any of the protective measures that any of our entities took, which includes overtime for staff to be out there, and then anything to public utility systems and buildings,” she said.
Bietz said the estimate is likely to increase because it doesn’t include other costs that haven’t been determined yet, like engineering work to repair damaged roads.
The costs for the county thus far are “pretty consistent” with other major storms over the years, Bietz said, though they pale in comparison to what other parts of the state are seeing. Damages in Sacramento County alone have reportedly topped $123 million, with experts estimating the statewide total to be over $1 billion.
“Some of the other counties in the state are really taking a toll,” she said. “One of the least impacted counties, I would say.”
Being included in a federal disaster declaration would help cover up to 75% of the county’s costs, but that had yet to happen as of Friday.
Counties designated for individual assistance through FEMA as a of Friday were Merced, Monterey, Sacrametno, San Joaquin, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara and Santa Cruz. Those eligible for public assistance were Merced, Monterey, Sacramento, San Luis Obispo, and Santa Cruz counties.
All 58 counties in the state are eligible for hazard mitigation assistance.
Tuolumne County residents or businesses that have suffered storm damage, even if they have insurance that will cover it, are encouraged to contact the county Office of Emergency Services at OES@co.tuolumne.ca.us and (209) 533-6395.
The county will need the following information:
• Name of business or property owner
• Mailing address if different than physical
• Description of damage, including if it is a residence or business.
Other information that could be requested includes:
• Picture of before if possible
• Whether or not you have insurance
• If a residence, is this a primary or secondary.
