Sonoma County approves $1.5 million to fix latest Moscow Road washout ahead of FEMA funds

Sonoma County Supervisors on Tuesday authorized urgent funding to repair two major washouts on Moscow Road in Monte Rio.

One washout was caused by flooding in 2019, and the other came earlier this year. Both have created significant access issues for hundreds of nearby residents.

The supervisors’ action Tuesday included the approval of $1.5 million in county funds to repair the most recent washout in January, in advance of federal approval for FEMA reimbursement funds.

FEMA only recently approved reimbursement for the 2019 storm damage, and repairs are expected to begin this summer.

During the supervisors’ meeting Tuesday, Supervisor Lynda Hopkins, who represents west county, decried the snail’s pace that dogs FEMA-funded repairs.

“If we are able to loan ourselves money and front money, how can we be assured that we will be reimbursed? Because we can't possibly wait four years for critical arterials?,” Hopkins said. “Right now, in Sonoma County we go from flood season to fire season, and if we can't get things done, lives are at risk.”

The early January damage occurred a quarter mile southeast of the Villa Grande community. Residents of Villa Grande had already been contending with the 2019 washout west of their neighborhood.

Since the flooding in January, Hopkins and the county’s director of public infrastructure, Johannes Hoevertsz, have been working to secure local funding to repair the most recent washout.

Tuesday’s board action comes less than two weeks after a March 1 Press Democrat story highlighted residents’ frustration with repair delays since the 2019 washout.

During the board meeting, Hopkins echoed concerns about access to the Villa Grande community.

“This is a critical public safety issue and it's not just something that west county faces,” she said. “It’s something that we see really countywide, and we need to be able to move more quickly.”

Hopkins called on North Coast representatives in the U.S. Congress to “try to bring some sense to the FEMA system” to expedite emergency repairs.

The county’s public infrastructure department has already been given the green light to proceed with a $2 million repair for the 2019 flood damage to Moscow Road. The resolution approved Tuesday allows Hoevertsz to start design and construction of the damage caused by the January storm in concert with repairs to the 2019 washout.

In 2021, supervisors approved a revolving line of credit between the county waste and the county roads divisions for FEMA-approved projects. Tuesday’s action included a change that allowed funding for projects not yet fully approved by FEMA. The total Moscow Road repair cost of $3.5 million will initially come from the line of credit.

County officials said the reimbursement rate for such projects is typically 93.75%, with FEMA covering 75% and the state Office of Emergency Services covering 18.75%. Local funding sources make up the 6.25% balance.

Board Chair Chris Coursey, in a statement, said repairing both 2019 and 2023 storm damage at the same time will reduce the overall cost. The county has been affected by eight federally declared disasters since Jan. 1, 2017, with the total costs of repairing local transportation infrastructure caused by these disasters estimated at $100 million.

Tuesday’s board resolution outlining Moscow Road repairs was approved as part of the consent calendar, where items typically do not get much debate or discussion. Even so, more than half a dozen west county residents who live near Moscow Road urged supervisors to approve the funding and expedite repairs.

“As a community, we regularly give to others in the use of our wonderful preserve and beach access, and we do this as volunteers,” said Kyla Brooke, president of the Friends of Villa Grande, a nonprofit neighborhood association. “We ask that you give back and continue to be part of our wonderful Sonoma strong community.”

Sukey Robb-Wilder, a board member of Friends of Villa Grande, said she was grateful the county was not waiting for FEMA funds.

“Thank you for making an exception to your policies so that this Moscow Road emergency can be rectified as quickly as possible,” Robb-Wilder said. “We all know climate change is accelerating disasters, more disasters are likely to happen more quickly, and we all know that FEMA may be broken.”

You can reach Staff Writer Martin Espinoza at 707-521-5213 or martin.espinoza@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @pressreno.