How much did California's catastrophic storms cost? $1,000,000,000 and growing

 January 19, 2023

                             After the severe winter storms in California finally abated, emergency personnel and accountants have stepped in to begin assessing the damage. According to one analyst, California would likely incur costs totaling more than $1 billion.

Damage in Sacramento County alone likely topped $123 million, according to a preliminary estimate from the county.

The series of storms, which began New Year’s Eve, killed at least 20 people around the state, including five people in Sacramento County.

On January 14, President Joe Biden declared a major disaster, opening the door for more government funding and signalling that Washington would be responsible for paying for a sizeable amount of the rebuilding costs. On Thursday, Biden is anticipated to visit the Central Coast to assess the damage and speak with locals.

Individuals and families will be eligible for particular government aid in the counties of Sacramento, Merced, Monterey, Santa Barbara, Santa Cruz, and San Luis Obispo, which sustained some of the greatest damage.

In order to help individuals get access to FEMA cash and other forms of aid to pay for damage that isn't covered by their insurance companies, Sacramento County created a "Local Assistance Center" on Wednesday at the Chabolla Community Center in Galt.

Although it is still too early to provide a precise estimate, Adam Smith, an applied climatologist at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration who specialises in catastrophes, said that California officials will have a better sense in about a month. It has been a while since California has been really pounded by such a relentless stream of atmospheric rivers, Smith continued.

As the storms hammered California, their effects multiplied and increased in cost. According to Smith, the size and length of a catastrophe extend the time needed to estimate expenditures. Weeks or perhaps months' worth of assessments will be conducted.

However, Smith noted that a state cost in the billions of dollars was not "out of the question."

The state body in charge of three intercity train routes as well as state roadways has only just begun to estimate the cost of the damage.

Will Arnold, a spokesperson for Caltrans and the mayor of Davis, stated that the agency had more than 4,000 crew members working 12-hour shifts around the clock to react to thousands of accidents around the state. The safe reopening of roads that are still closed as a result of flooding, slides, or other disasters is now our top priority. Following this emergency, Caltrans will identify any more repairs required and calculate their overall price.

The first damage estimate for Sacramento County, according to county Director of Public Information Kim Nava, "includes all reported private property damage (residential and business) and all public property damage countywide."

Private property damage has only ever been self-reported thus far, and the county hasn't yet received expert evaluations. Residents are still able to contact the county's Office of Emergency Services with complaints. It's possible that there is still harm that hasn't been disclosed.

Smith also made a comparison between the latest storms and the $2–3 billion floods that occurred in California in 1995 and 1997. Since then, California's population has increased, putting more of the state's assets, including homes, companies, cars, infrastructure, roads, bridges, and levee systems, at risk.

Because more assets have been built in risky areas, Smith added, "the harm might potentially be higher now."

Under the terms of a Creative Commons licence, this article has been taken from THE SACRAMENTO BEE. Go here to read the original article.