Governor Jerry Brown requested Friday that President Trump declare a major disaster in California, as winter storms continue to pummel the state.
The request comes on the heels of the governor's emergency proclamation for 49 counties in California, and refers specifically to ongoing recovery efforts due to damage from the storm systems that impacted the state between January 3 and January 12. Brown's office has also added three more counties -- Amador, Mono and Riverside -- to the list.
Last month's proclamation directed the California Department of Transportation to seek assistance through the Federal Highway Administration's Emergency Relief Program. Friday's letter states that a preliminary assessment found that damage to highways eligible for federal relief totaled hundreds of millions of dollars.
The letter cites widespread wildfire damage and dry ground from five years of drought as exacerbating the problems caused by this year's extremely wet winter.
The full letter to the president can be found here.
- Capital Public Radio Staff
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