Board ratifies emergency proclamation as county tallies storm damage

Shasta County supervisors on Tuesday voted 5-0 to adopt a resolution ratifying the county director of emergency services’ Feb. 5, 2025, proclamation of a local emergency related to winter storms and associated flooding.

The declaration, explained during the meeting by Shasta County Sheriff Johnson, is intended to preserve the county’s ability to seek state and federal reimbursement and to authorize use of county resources as damage assessments continue. “We put forth to the State is based largely on, the anticipation of the damages that are coming in,” Sheriff Johnson said during his report to the board.

The nut graf: County officials said storm-related flooding has already damaged roads, utilities and public facilities across the county and that an emergency proclamation helps preserve reimbursement eligibility if additional infrastructure damage is discovered after the immediate event.

Sheriff Johnson summarized reported and preliminary costs. He told the board that portions of Rainbow Lake collapsed with an early estimate of about $215,000; county public works had logged roughly $60,000 in equipment and sandbagging costs so far; an office building for the county Health and Human Services Agency in the city of Shasta Lake was flooded and closed pending damage estimates; early estimates of $50,000 to $100,000 were reported in parts of Anderson; the Cottonwood Irrigation District estimated at least $500,000 in infrastructure damage; and the Bonaview boat ramp and adjacent pipeline were estimated by city staff at “anywhere from $5,000,000 up” to repair. Sheriff Johnson also told the board that Pacific Gas & Electric had reported at least 24 incidents of damaged poles or transformers during the event.

“Because of him we had the forethought of putting forth this emergency declaration to protect the county in anticipation of the damages that were coming,” Sheriff Johnson said of Office of Emergency Services Lieutenant Rob Sandblum, who he identified as assisting with coordination.

Supervisors asked how private residents and local agencies should report damage. Sheriff Johnson and members of the emergency staff said residents should contact the county Office of Emergency Services (OES) or the American Red Cross for immediate individual assistance. For infrastructure and municipal damage, the county asked jurisdictions and special districts to submit damage information to county OES so it can be bundled and submitted to the State OES for possible reimbursement. County staff said the state’s financial-threshold guidance for reimbursement consideration typically begins around $600,000 to $800,000 for local costs, excluding larger city-level claims.

Public commenters included residents who urged swift action and thanked county staff for sandbagging and mitigation work; one resident said a friend reported the Bonaview damage to city staff within hours, which likely prevented the site from going unreported. The board also acknowledged coordination with state partners and neighboring cities; Sheriff Johnson said the city of Redding would file its own proclamation, which “will really tag on to” the county submission.

The formal action recorded by the board was adoption of the ratification resolution. A board member moved to accept the resolution as written, another seconded, and the motion passed by a 5-0 vote.

Ending: County officials said damage estimates remain preliminary and that the Office of Emergency Services will continue to collect reports from jurisdictions and utilities, submit supplemental documentation to the state, and update the board as more detailed cost estimates and repair timelines become available.