Kern County proclaims local emergency after storm floods eastern communities; supervisors authorize state aid request

Kern County supervisors at a special meeting approved a proclamation of local emergency after a Sept. 18 storm caused widespread flooding and infrastructure damage in eastern parts of the county, including a failure of a transmission main that left Randsburg-area residents under a boil-water notice.

The action, moved by Supervisor Philip Peters and approved by a voice vote recorded as “all ayes,” authorizes the board chair to sign a proclamation of local emergency and directs county staff to submit a request for assistance under the California Disaster Assistance Act, county officials said.

The declaration is intended to make the county eligible for state reimbursement under the California Disaster Assistance Act, which county emergency officials said can reimburse up to about 70% of eligible repair costs once a local spending threshold is met.

Greg Frazier, identified in the record as a board director and the newly appointed emergency coordinator for the local water district serving the affected area, told the board a major leak near Randsburg destroyed roughly 150 feet of transmission pipeline during the storm. He said the district shut down the system to protect storage and…