Dec. 23--Gov. Jerry Brown declared a state of emergency in four counties Monday after two weeks of heavy rain and winds caused flooding, mudslides and evacuations across California.
The emergency declaration is a formal step that should help Caltrans officials receive money through the Federal Highway Administration's emergency relief program to repair freeways in Marin, Mendocino, Ventura and San Mateo counties.
In a prepared statement, Brown said state officials are working assess any damage in other counties.
In Ventura County, the storm caused mudslides that left 10 Camarillo Springs homes uninhabitable.
Despite damaged homes and roads, the fast-moving storms that swept the state brought relief to deeply depleted water systems, dropping 3 to 5 inches of rain over Northern California and several feet of snow in the Sierra Nevada.
