■ Rep. Thompson announces funding to repair damage caused by 6.0 August temblor

U.S. Rep. Mike Thompson has announced that $4.8 million in emergency relief funds from the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Highway Administration will help the California Department of Transportation and local agencies repair infrastructure damaged in the Aug. 24, 2014, earthquake.

That magnitude-6.0 quake, centered three miles from American Canyon and six miles from Napa, was the largest in the San Francisco Bay Area in 25 years, Thompson said.

Estimates indicated it caused $362 million in damages and damaged more than 1,500 homes in Napa, Solano and Sonoma counties, he said.

“Our community is still recovering from the earthquake that struck nearly six months ago,” Thompson said.

“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.”

Federal emergency relief funds become available after a governor or the president issues a formal emergency declaration and a state files a request for those funds to cover the cost of damage to eligible highways, Thompson noted.

The money can be used for such repairs as those needed to restore essential traffic, minimize the extent of damage, protect surviving facilities and make necessary permanent repairs so the highway is restored to its pre-disaster condition, he said.

President Barack Obama approved individual assistance Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) disaster funds for both Napa and Solano counties in the wake of the earthquake in October 2014, as well as U.S. Small Business Administration loans for homeowners, businesses and nonprofit organizations.

Prior to that, Obama also approved FEMA disaster funds for public assistance funding affected communities that could be used to repair public roads, bridges, buildings, water systems, power generation equipment, sewage collection infrastructure and drainage channels.

With the funding, the federal government covers 75 percent of the costs and the state and local governments split the remaining 25 percent, Thompson said.

Hazard mitigation funding was approved in September 2014 for local communities to use to assure they are better able to withstand future earthquakes.

“Our infrastructure is still in need of repair and these funds will go a long way toward helping our recovery efforts,” Thompson said.

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