Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
Available On Air Stations
Watch Live

Environment

San Diego City Council Approves Storm Declaration

Cars drive through flooding at College and University avenues, Jan. 20, 2017.
Claire Trageser
Cars drive through flooding at College and University avenues, Jan. 20, 2017.

The San Diego City Council Tuesday unanimously approved a declaration of local emergency in connection with the winter storm that pummeled the city last month.

In the declaration issued by Mayor Kevin Faulconer last week, the Feb. 26-27 storm "caused widespread flooding, wind damage and debris flows" and "resulted in significant emergency response and recovery activities by the city."

The city estimated $1.4 million worth of damage and emergency response costs due to the storm.

Advertisement

RELATED: Governor Requests Federal Relief After Storms Hit San Diego

The local emergency proclamation, combined with one issued by Gov. Jerry Brown for San Diego and other counties around California, will allow the city to receive financial assistance for recovery and some mitigation efforts.

"The February 2017 winter storm was extraordinary in the amount of rainfall it produced," the declaration states. "As a result of the storms, city departments were engaged in widespread emergency response and recovery activities such as swift water rescue operations, traffic control, debris removal, clearing/repairing of storm drains, tree and mud removal. Additionally, city public facilities incurred damages from storm impacts including flooding, high winds and fallen trees."

RELATED: San Diego Mayor Declares State of Emergency in Aftermath of Storms

Areas of San Diego County received record rainfall when the Pacific storm mixed with tropical moisture as it moved through the region.

Advertisement

The council ratified the mayor's proclamation on a 7-0 vote. Councilmen David Alvarez and Mark Kersey were absent.