Sierra County Declares State of Emergency Over Flooding Damage

SIERRA BROOKS — Between August 23 and 26, the Sierra Valley experienced a series of severe thunderstorms. As a result of the storms, at least five separate debris flows impacted Smithneck Road south of Sierra Brooks in the burn scar of the 2024 Bear Fire. Two of the debris flows were classified as major slides, requiring extensive removal operations from the roadway. One slide blocked Smithneck Creek, leading to the creek flowing down Smithneck Road and causing further damage.

Sierra County Public Works Director Bryan Davey estimates that last week’s storms caused $300,000 worth of damage to roads and infrastructure, an amount the county believes it is unable to shoulder without state disaster relief aid. To access state funding, the Board must first formally declare a state of emergency, stating that the damages exceed the capacity of Sierra County’s governmental services. The Board unanimously passed the state of emergency declaration on Tuesday.

The state of emergency allows the county to apply for approval from the California Office of Emergency Services to use state funds for specific projects related to repairing damage from the slides and flooding. The county’s public works department is continuing to review damages in the Bear Fire burn scar area. Besides Smithneck Road, a drainage project recently completed for a landfill site “basically got washed away,” said Director Davey. The Tahoe National Forest was also affected, with the Forest Service having to close Bear Valley Road, Bear Valley Campground, and a portion of the Boca-Loyalton Trail from the Loyalton Rotary grounds due to flooding damage. The Forest Service is also currently evaluating damages. Smithneck Road has been reopened, but debris removal is ongoing.