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OC extends winter storm emergency declaration

landslide on a cliff near the ocean
An aerial view of a hillside landslide brought on by heavy rains, which caused four ocean view apartment buildings to be evacuated and shuttered due to unstable conditions, on March 16, 2023 in San Clemente, California. Weeks of rains loosened the soil in Orange County which tumbled down near railroad tracks, which sometimes service Amtrak trains, next to the beach below.
Mario Tama / Getty Images

The Orange County Board of Supervisors voted to extend their winter storm emergency declaration for another 60 days due to ongoing problems caused by recent rainstorms.

The state of emergency was proclaimed in March, after storms caused a landslide in Dover Shores and flooding along the coast in Seal Beach, among other issues. The declaration allows the county to seek relief funds from the state to repair property damage.


Although the state of emergency was slated to end this week, Supervisor Katrina Foley says the Board voted for a two-month extension because issues are still cropping up long after the storms tapered off.

Those late-season impacts became apparent two weeks ago when a landslide in San Clemente damaged the historic Casa Romantica and shut down train services in south Orange County.

“We didn’t have rain for a while, then we had a little bit of rain, and boom, the hillside slid out from underneath Casa Romantica,” Foley said. “We don’t know what the next 60 days will bring. We hope that we don’t have any more damage, but we want to make sure we keep our options open so that we can get reimbursed.”

Foley said Orange County has already sustained $16.2 million in public property damages and over $10 million in private property damages. They’re still assessing all of the damage to public structures in Los Alamitos, Laguna Beach, and Seal Beach, as well as damage to Sheriff’s technical buildings.

The extended state of emergency will allow the county to continue requesting state and federal money to make repairs and infrastructure upgrades before the next stormy season arrives.

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