Estimate of Sonoma County flood damage revised downward (w/video)

The storm that slammed Sonoma County two weeks ago and flooded stores and restaurants in downtown Healdsburg caused approximately $8.8 million in damage - much less than originally estimated, and probably not enough for homeowners and businesses to be eligible for government assistance.

Sonoma County officials on Wednesday said the total from the Dec. 11 storm includes $1.3 million in damages to residences and businesses and $7.4 million in public infrastructure and emergency response costs.

The lion’s share, $5.6 million, was from damage to road and bridge systems.

Although there were numerous roads flooded, power failures and calls for emergency service countywide, officials said the overall damage paled in comparison to past floods.

“The reality is, this was a minor flood,” said Christopher Helgren, a manager with the Sonoma County Fire and Emergency Services Department. “There is damage, but relatively little compared to 2006, when there was over $100 million.”

Two weeks ago, the Russian River crested in Guerneville at 33.4 feet, which is just above the 32-foot flood stage and well below the 48-foot record caused by mammoth storms in February 1986 that put most of downtown Guerneville underwater.

But the impact of the Dec. 11 storm was especially pronounced in Healdsburg, which was hit by a whopping 8.4 inches of rain in 24 hours. About 6 of those inches fell in a 12- to 14-hour period, according to city officials.

The potent storm sent Foss Creek over its banks, overwhelmed two city detention ponds designed to capture any overflow, and sent water surging into stores and city buildings, including the fire department. It transformed parking lots into lakes and created incongruous scenes of kayakers paddling around inundated cars.

But initial reports of $15 million worth of damage in Healdsburg were grossly overstated. That since has been reassessed at approximately $2 million.

“Looking at the images and businesses affected led Healdsburg and us to believe those damages would be higher than what eventually came out,” Helgren said.

“I was worried when damages estimates came in at $15 million. I’m glad to hear it’s significantly less than that,” Healdsburg Mayor Shaun McCaffrey said.

A more precise survey, based on actual site visits, showed Healdsburg had 45 businesses that were damaged - consisting of 30 with minor damage and 15 that were “affected.”

Damage is now estimated at about $750,000 to Healdsburg businesses and $250,000 to residences.

Healdsburg also had around $900,000 in damages to infrastructure, including to its public buildings and equipment, water control facilities, bridges and streets, and costs for debris removal and disposal, Helgren said.

In addition to Healdsburg, cities and government agencies that reported infrastructure and other damages included Cloverdale, Petaluma, Rohnert Park and the Sonoma County Water Agency. School agencies included Cloverdale Unified, Fort Ross and Santa Rosa City Schools.

In Cloverdale, the city submitted a storm damage estimate of $516,000, according to City Manager Paul Cayler. That included damage to the Cloverdale Airport lighting systems and to the Cloverdale Police Department.

Helgren said the list of damages to public agencies is submitted to the state Office of Emergency Services in hopes that as much as 75 percent of the costs will be reimbursed if the governor approves emergency assistance funding.

The threshold for businesses and homes to be eligible for low-interest loan recovery programs is at least 25 buildings with major damage. But only one building in Sonoma County had that level of damage from the flood, Helgren said. He did not say which building suffered major damage.

“Realistically, there is no government program that will offer assistance to these individuals as a result of the winter storm,” he said.

County officials said agriculture damages were not an issue because most of the places that flooded involved vineyards, which are dormant in winter.

Brad Alexander, a spokesman for the state Office of Emergency Services, said Wednesday that the state has not compiled damage assessments from all counties affected by the storm.

He noted that Gov. Jerry Brown made a proclamation that will allow Caltrans to apply to the Federal Highway Administration to fix road damage in San Mateo, Ventura, Mendocino and Marin counties.

You can reach Staff Writer ?Clark Mason at 521-5214 or clark.mason@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @clarkmas.