By Khalida Sarwari
Santa Cruz County is awaiting the approval of an emergency proclamation by Gov. Jerry Brown to receive relief aid after a series of storms caused an estimated $8 million in damage.
The Board of Supervisors held an emergency meeting Tuesday night where they approved a resolution declaring an emergency in the county.
If approved by Brown, the county could receive 75 percent of the repair costs from the California Emergency Management Agency.
John Presleigh, director of Santa Cruz County Department of Public Works, said the damage is so far estimated at $8 million, but that figure is expected to rise.
The storm began on March 21, but residents saw the brunt of it on Saturday, when nearly four inches of rain poured down in a matter of six hours, and prompted the closure of 40 roads across the county, Presleigh said.
“That’s when a lot of the damage occurred,” he said.
The roads have seen most of the damage, from debris flows to washed out and collapsed roads.
Today, seven roads remained closed.
Not much has changed for the 26 residents in the Nelson Road area of Scotts Valley who were trapped following a rockslide on March 21.
“They can drive down and walk through,” Presleigh said. “But carrying groceries is no fun.”
Officials are constructing a temporary road for cars and hope to open it by Friday, he said.
About three or four homes had lost power, but Presleigh said it has been restored.
He said the rocks have not yet been removed because the environment is still too wet and makes the terrain unsafe.
“We’re waiting for an assessment by a geologist to determine how to remove the rocks,” Presleigh said.