Gov. Brown declares state of emergency in Sacramento, most other counties following storms

Following two weeks of winter storms, Gov. Jerry Brown has declared a state of emergency for Sacramento and 49 other counties, making them eligible for money to fix roads and make other repairs.

The declaration, issued late Monday, covers much of Northern California, including Sacramento, El Dorado, Placer, Yolo, Yuba, Sutter, Tehama and Calaveras counties. All but eight of California’s 58 counties are included. The declaration said damage estimates are in the “tens of millions of dollars.”

Brown’s order directs the state Department of Transportation to seek money from the Federal Highway Administration to repair or rebuild highways. It also directs the state Office of Emergency Services to provide other relief for local governments.

The storms caused flooding in portions of rural south Sacramento County and damaged several roads in the Sierra Nevada, which was pounded with some of the heaviest snow seen in years. Power was knocked out in thousands of homes, and trees were toppled throughout the state.

Brown issued a second state of emergency declaration covering flooding in December in Del Norte, Humboldt, Mendocino, Shasta, Santa Cruz and Trinity counties.

This story was originally published January 24, 2017 at 8:55 AM with the headline "Gov. Brown declares state of emergency in Sacramento, most other counties following storms."