To: Sonoma County Board of Supervisors
Department or Agency Name(s): County Administrator’s Office
Staff Name and Phone Number: Michael Gossman, 565-2341
Vote Requirement: Majority
Supervisorial District(s): All
Title:
Title
Terminate Proclamations of Local Emergency and Local Health Emergency Relating in the Sonoma County Operational Area Relating to the 2019 Winter Storms and Flooding
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Recommended Actions:
Recommended action
Review and terminate the Proclamation of a Local Emergency (first proclaimed February 26, 2019) and the Proclamation of Local Health Emergency (first proclaimed March 5, 2019) in the Sonoma County Operational Area Relating to the 2019 Winter Storms and Flooding.
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Executive Summary:
This item requests the Board of Supervisors terminate the two proclamations relating to the 2019 Winter Storms and Flooding: the Proclamation of a Local Emergency in the Sonoma County Operational Area (first proclaimed February 26, 2019), and the Proclamation of Local Health Emergency in the Sonoma County Operational Area (first proclaimed March 5, 2019).
On February 26, 2019, pursuant to California Government Code section 8630, the Sonoma County Supervisors declared a Local Emergency as powerful winter storms battered the county. On February 28, 2019, Governor Newsom declared a State of Emergency for Sonoma County. On May 17, 2019, the President declared a Federal Disaster for the severe winter storms, flooding, landslides, and mudslides for 16 counties in California, including Sonoma County, for the incident period of February 24 to March 1, 2019.
Sonoma County’s Health Officer declared a local health emergency on March 5, 2019 due to the scale of household hazardous waste scattered along waterways, roadsides, and on public and private properties after flooding.
At the March 7, 2019 Special Meeting, your Board ratified the County Health Officer’s proclamation of local health emergency due to the presence of significant household hazardous waste in the flood zone that requires proper disposal.
Property Damage Assessment: Damage assessments estimated over $150 million in countywide flood damages. Thirty-one structures received red tags (structural damage posing an imminent threat to life or safety), while 527 structures received yellow tags (smaller relative risk from minimal structural damage). Damage estimates also include approximately $4 million in physical agriculture damage.
In addition to private property damage, the County identified over $58 million in damages to public property. Such damages have included for debris removal, emergency protective measures, non-federal road and bridge systems, water control facilities, public buildings, public utilities, and park and recreational facilities.
The County experienced significant road damage on several sites that required exigent work to open or maintain the road as passable due to the importance of the routes. Exigent roadway work included:
• Assessing and clearing 110 landslides ranging in severity from minor slips to Stewarts Point-Skaggs Springs Road which was buried by approximately 12,000 cubic yards of debris blocking the road and the Gualala River.
• King Ridge Road experienced 12 landslides over a 10 mile stretch of road. Four of the landslides required geotechnical assessment and an engineered repair.
• Moscow Road, by Cassini Campground, experienced a slide which destroyed the westbound lane and continued to undermine the road. Geotechnical assessment and extensive repair are necessary to reopen the road.
• Mays Canyon Road bridge: damaged abutment
• A retaining wall on Geysers Road failed and an emergency installation of sheet pile was necessary to keep the road open.
• Geotechnical assessment of Neeley Road, Timber Cove Road, and Donner Drive is ongoing and further repair/ protective work will be needed.
• A slow moving slide on Westside Avenue causing four homes to be red-tagged
• Winterization and temporary stabilization of at least five sites. Coleman Valley Road and King Ridge Road suffered multiple slip-outs. Several of these sites have active slides that continue to pose a risk. These sites required temporary stabilization work to ensure the roads remain safe and passable through the winter and that no further damage occurs.
In addition, other urgent work was needed to repair erosion, culvert and roadway washouts, and other structural damage on these and other public roads, to ensure the continued, safe use of roadways in the affected areas, many of which were main routes of ingress and egress to remote areas.
Notwithstanding the above repairs and completed work, significant repairs remain necessary for many roadways, road infrastructure, and adjacent slopes and support. A slow moving slide on Westside Avenue continues to be monitored by geologists and has caused four homes to be red-tagged. TPW anticipates further monitoring and that remedial work may become necessary at this location. Many of these sites contain active landslides that are still unstable or actively continuing to slide, which means that assessment needs remain on-going and full assessment and repair must be timed to when conditions stabilize.
The total scale and severity of the above known and the then-yet-to-be assessed impacts exceeded the capacity and/or expertise of County departments to provide immediate response. Whereas normally outside assistance could be procured, normal contracting process for services, equipment, and materials and other property typically takes several months, due to normal procedural requirements such as minimum advertising periods, assessing bids, noticing periods, and awarding and executing contracts. Such delays would have meant that it would not be possible to perform the necessary measures to protect public health, public safety, essential public services, and property in a timely manner. Emergency contracting procedures made it possible to meet the emergency needs from the flood and storms.
While much repair and recovery work from the 2019 Flood and storms remain on-going and will continue, imminent emergency conditions have abated. Conditions have largely been stabilized and County resources appear adequate and available for handling remaining needs. As such, the circumstances giving rise to the local emergency proclamation have resolved and current conditions now warrant its termination.
Debris Collection: At the March 7, 2019 Special Meeting, the Board directed staff to offer curbside debris collection to assist Russian River communities with the significant amount of waste created by the flood disaster at no cost to residents. This was in response to the health and environmental risk posed by flood debris accumulating in streets, parking lots and in other public areas.
The County collected roughly 4,000 tons of debris from March 1, 2019 through March 29, 2019 and the program is now completed.
As of November 5, 2019, the final Recology bill is $1,952,355; the estimated debris monitoring bill from 4Leaf is $71,940; and the ESP & Alarms (Overnight security at Household Hazardous Waste drop off collection site) bill is $13,075, for a total of $2,037,371. Final labor, materials and rental equipment costs were $72,592. Combined, the total TPW FEMA claim for debris collection is $2,109,962.
Disaster Assistance: On March 6, 2019, Sonoma County requested California Disaster Assistance Act (CDAA) assistance for Emergency Protective Measures (County emergency response and debris removal) and private property debris removal due to significant damages sustained during the event. Governor Newsom authorized CDAA (CDAA-2019-01-06) for Sonoma County for the February 26, 2019 Flooding event. Through the CDAA, the County is eligible for 75% State / 25% County cost share reimbursement for eligible expenses.
The May 17, 2019 Federal Declaration provides for both FEMA Public Assistance (PA) and FEMA Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP). FEMA Public Assistance provides assistance for emergency work and the repair or replacement of disaster-damaged facilities and the FEMA Hazard Mitigation Grant Program provides assistance for actions taken to prevent or reduce long-term risk to life and property from natural hazards.
The Auditor-Controller-Treasurer-Tax Collector’s Office (ACTTC) working with County Departments and FEMA and Cal OES identified over 65 potentially eligible damages to initially create 36 project worksheets to claim reimbursement for emergency response and permanent repair costs associated with the 2019 Late February Storms, as well as costs for damages sustained to County property not covered by the County’s insurance policies. These claims are being submitted through the FEMA Public Assistance Program.
2019 Winter Storms and Flooding Reimbursements (as of October 1, 2019)
Total number of Projects: 36
Total Approved Projects: 1
Total Projects Completed: 1
Estimated Reimbursement (Fed and State Share): $55.1M
Reimbursement Received (Fed and State Share): $6K
2019 Winter Storms and Flooding Reimbursement Breakdown
$6K Emergency Protective Measures Projects
$0 Permanent Projects
$0 Cal-OES only Projects
ACTTC and County Departments continue to work with FEMA and Cal-OES on project formulation and approval.
Government Code section 8630 requires the Board of Supervisors to review the need for continuing the local emergency at least once every sixty (60) days until the local emergency has been terminated, and the governing body shall proclaim the termination of the local emergency at the earliest possible date that conditions warrant.
Staff recommend that the Board terminate the Proclamation of a Local Emergency (first proclaimed February 26, 2019) and the Proclamation of Local Health Emergency (first proclaimed March 5, 2019) in the Sonoma County Operational Area Relating to the 2019 Winter Storms and Flooding.
Prior Board Actions:
September 24, 2019: Declaring the need for continuing the local emergency.
August 6, 2019: Declaring the need for continuing the local emergency.
June 11, 2019: Declaring the need for continuing the local emergency.
April 16, 2019: Declaring the need for continuing the local emergency.
February 26, 2019: Adopting Resolution No. 19-0096 proclaiming a local emergency.
Fiscal Summary
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Narrative Explanation of Staffing Impacts (If Required):
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Attachments:
FEMA Overall Project Map TPW 9-10-19
Related Items “On File” with the Clerk of the Board:
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