City of South Lake Tahoe declares state of emergency to pave way for funding

The South Lake Tahoe City Council members voted unanimously to declare a state of emergency in the city after widespread flooding occurred after an atmospheric river passed over the community on January 7 and 8, 2017. The flooding was replaced by several feet of snow through January 12.

While the total impact on the community during the storm has yet to be tallied, making the declaration directs state and federal funds to South Lake Tahoe to alleviate the financial burden should major repairs be needed.

Reno and Washoe County made the move to make the same declaration prior to the storm's arrival, something the City could have made as well. There are two ways a city or state can call the sate of emergency, either before or during a storm, or afterwards through a vote by a governing body.

The City will now forward the declaration of the state of emergency to Governor Brown's office. Should funding be made available through Brown's office or on a federal level, the City can apply for them.

In South Lake Tahoe, businesses, a medical clinic and several homes suffered water damage after flooding occurred. The SLT Public Works department has been documenting the condition of the City's infrastructure system after the flooding, including storm drains, streets, the Bijou Water Quality storm system, roadways and snow removal equipment. The storm event is expected to create ongoing flooding and other issues this winter and spring as snow melts and other storm systems add water to an already full Truckee River and waterlogged meadows.

Financial impacts to the storm will not be known for weeks or months, and emergency funds may be needed after all of the infrastructure is inspected and repaired.