Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom Wednesday declared a state of emergency in San Diego and five other California counties because of damage from last weekend's rainstorms.
In the declaration, Newsom wrote that the storms caused flash flooding and mudslides that damaged public and private facilities, forced the evacuation of residents and prompted the opening of emergency shelters.
He pointed in particular to the collapse of Interstate 10 about 50 miles west of the Arizona state line in Riverside County.
He took the action for San Diego, Imperial, Kern, Los Angeles, Riverside and San Bernardino counties because Gov. Jerry Brown is out of the country.
The lieutenant governor also ordered Caltrans to seek emergency funding from the Federal Highway Administration to pay for road repairs.
Through Tuesday, roughly 130 San Diego-area home and business owners reported property damage due to the pounding downpours generated last weekend by the remnants of Hurricane Dolores, according to county officials.
The storm led to record local rainfall and widespread flooding on Saturday and Sunday, swamping roads, structures and yards in various areas.
