Calif. awards $5M for flood emergency response

The California Department of Water Resources (DWR) announced that it has awarded $5 million in funding for seven emergency response agencies in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta to increase their ability to respond to flood emergencies.

The grant awards will help communities in the Delta develop flood safety plans, conduct training and emergency exercises, invest in communications equipment, and distribute flood fight materials.

Recent studies have shown California communities, especially in the Delta region, are at increased risk of flooding events due to climate change.

“DWR works with communities across the state to prevent flooding, but we must also be prepared to respond when flood emergencies put public safety at risk,” says Gary Lippner, DWR’s deputy director of flood management and dam safety. “This funding will help bolster emergency response efforts in flooding events, which may happen at any time.”

Award recipients from the announcement include:

• San Joaquin County: $1.6 million
• Yolo County: $1.56 million
• Bethel Island Municipal Improvement District: $462,000
• Bradford Island Reclamation District 2059: $450,000
• City of Sacramento: $306,000
• Hotchkiss Tract Reclamation District 799: $305,000
• City of Isleton: $250,000

Since 2012, DWR has awarded $50 million in flood emergency response grants to improve local flood emergency response and contribute to increasing public safety. Specifically for the Delta, DWR has awarded $30 million in grant funding over the last 10 years to Delta communities.