San Rafael, CA – Marin County sustained an estimated $13,321,134 in damage from flooding, mudslides, winds, high tides and other storm damage since the December 10-11 downpour, according to the County of Marin’s initial damage estimate.
The estimate, compiled by the Marin County Department of Finance, Department of Public Works and the Marin County Sheriff-Coroner’s Office of Emergency Services, includes $9,324,134 in damage to public property. The total represents combined storm damage estimates from the County of Marin and all other municipalities, special districts and government agencies.
An estimate of $3,997,000 in private damages includes 34 homes, 11 businesses and two outbuildings.
Public assistance damage estimates included:
- $4,640,000 for landslides on Highway 1, Tennessee Valley Road, Manzanita Road and Throckmorton Avenue
- $4,089,000 for levee damage in Novato and a dune washout in Stinson Beach
- $294,000 for leaks and collapses in County-maintained buildings
- $191,422 for extra staffing during the storm
- $108,712 for damage and debris clearing countywide
The most expensive single item on the public damage estimate is $4,640,000 for slide damage along roads. Major slides took place on Highway 1, also known as Shoreline Highway, between Muir Beach and Muir Woods National Monument. That repair is under the jurisdiction of the California Department of Transportation, or Caltrans. Other significant slides took place along Tennessee Valley Road, Manzanita Road, Muir Beach Road and Throckmorton Avenue.
The estimate also includes $4,089,000 for stabilization and long-term repair of levee damage along Novato Creek between highways 101 and 37 on the east side of Novato. Management and maintenance of the levees is the responsibility of the Marin County Flood Control and Water Conservation District.
Marin residents suffered private storm-related losses as well. Out of the 34 homes and 11 businesses damaged, two homes and one business sustained what was categorized as major damage, meaning the building is no longer usable without extensive repairs. Individual assistance is only available if the federal government declares a major disaster, and the threshold is often determined by the estimated costs of damage and repairs. A state emergency services spokesman said there is a very low likelihood of a federal declaration in the wake of the December 10-11 storm given the initial estimates of damage statewide.
However, some Marin residents may be eligible for tax relief if they have sustained $10,000 or more worth of storm-related damage. Information and application forms for individual disaster relief may be obtained by writing the Office of Assessor-Recorder-County Clerk, County of Marin, P.O. Box C, San Rafael, CA 94913 or by telephone at (415) 473-7215 between the hours of 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. Forms are also available at the Assessor-Recorder-County Clerk’s website.
California Governor Jerry Brown declared a state of emergency December 22 to help pay for storm-related road damage in four counties, including Marin, since the December 10-11 storm. That declaration followed a December 16 proclamation of a state of emergency by the Marin County Board of Supervisors. The state declaration launched procedural steps to create the possibility for local reimbursement for storm damage.
County officials have worked on the initial damage estimate since the local proclamation on December 16. The estimate incorporates local damage reports to forward to the state for consideration of reimbursement from both the state and federal government. The state allows changes to the amount in a county’s initial damage estimate, particularly if state and federal government agencies elect to take the next step in the reimbursement process and conduct a preliminary damage assessment.
State law dictates that a governing body that has declared a local state of emergency shall review the need for continuing the local emergency at least once every 30 days. The first review is scheduled for the January 13, 2015, meeting of the Board of Supervisors.
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