A historic wet California winter caused storms in January and March to cause at least $210 million in damage to state parks near Santa Cruz, according to a state report filed with federal officials. Popular state beaches accounted for nearly half of the damage, he said.
The damage estimate was included in a report submitted to the Federal Emergency Management Agency by the California Department of Parks and Recreation as part of the state’s effort to obtain federal assistance for park restoration.
The report lists 85 of the state’s 280 parks and estimates the January storm damage alone at $187 million. Another storm in March caused at least $23 million in damage, but estimates are expected to rise further.
Of the parks affected by the storm, 15 parks were estimated to have suffered more than $1 million in damage each, with the most severe damage concentrated on the central coast.
Sea Cliff State Beach, near Santa Cruz, suffered more than $100 million in damage when a storm hit the pier in January, according to reports.
In addition to destroying the pier, the January storm “destroyed nearly all of the seawall and much of the embankment that was building the campground,” the state park said. wrote in february. “Many of the underground facilities were washed out to sea, and the pavement of the parking lot was also lost.”
california survived 31 Atmospheric River Storm This winter has been the wettest, coldest ever recorded.storm killed a person, Stranded Others and damaged infrastructure.
There was more than $19 million in damage at the Hearst San Simeon State Historic Monument in San Luis Obispo County and nearly $12 million in damage at El Capitan State Beach in Santa Barbara County.
At Hearst Castle, the memorial was closed in mid-January after rain caused flooding and power line cuts. San Luis Obispo Tribune. In El Capitan, storms damaged water pipes, some of which are still awaiting repair. State park website.
“The state park has already completed some restorations, including debris removal, emergency repairs and structural protection,” said Jorge Moreno, spokesman for California State Parks.
“The ministry has a phased approach to projects that require long-term repairs, and some work could take up to five years,” he said.
It’s unclear when FEMA will respond to the state’s report, or what funds will be allocated to the park’s restoration.
Moreno said the January damage list will be updated as the Park Service continues to assess and repair.
“FEMA has not yet closed the event and additional counties are still being declared,” Moreno said, adding that a similarly detailed list of damaged parks will be available once the event is over. added.
This story was originally los angeles times.
