Brown seeks federal help for Oroville Dam

Gov. Jerry Brown requested a presidential major disaster declaration Sunday to aid with repairs to the damaged Oroville Dam spillway and to bolster recovery efforts following last month’s storms.

February storms caused major damage to much of the state, including flooding, levee breaches, residential evacuations and power outages. Inclement weather also caused extensive damage to roads and bridges throughout California.

Sunday’s request follows three other separate presidential major disaster declaration requests that were granted last month and last week.

Those requests support the response efforts for the situation at the Oroville Dam, as well as impacts of storm systems in early and late January.

Brown’s Office of Emergency Services has also requested federal assistance to support individuals is six counties, including Santa Clara and Santa Cruz, where storm damage affected more than 200 homes and businesses.