Times Herald- Thompson secures $5 million in emergency relief funds for infrastructure

U.S Representative Mike Thompson (CA-5) announced Friday that around $4.8 million in emergency relief funds from the U.S. Department of Transportation's Federal Highway Administration will be given to help the California Department of Transportation and local agencies cover repair costs for infrastructure damaged by the last year's Aug. 24 earthquake.

The magnitude-6.0 earthquake that struck the Napa, Solano and Sonoma counties areas at approximately 3:20 a.m. According to the U.S. Geological Survey, the epicenter was three miles from American Canyon, six miles from Napa, and eight miles from Sonoma.

"Our community is still recovering from the earthquake that struck nearly six months ago," Thompson said in a press release. "Our infrastructure is still in need of repair and these funds will go a long way toward helping our recovery efforts.

"Going forward, I will continue working with all federal agencies to make sure our district gets the resources we need to address the damage that the earthquake caused," he added.

According to the same press release, emergency relief funds become available after the president or the governor issues a formal emergency declaration and the state files a request for ER for the cost of damages to its eligible highways.

Eligible repair work includes emergency repairs needed to restore essential traffic, minimize the extent of damage, or protect the remaining facilities as well as permanent repairs necessary to restore the highway to its pre-disaster condition, according to Thompson.

Hazard Mitigation funding was also approved in September. This is funding for local communities to repair facilities in a way that will help make sure they are better able to withstand future earthquake