Interagency Hazard Mitigation Team report for California : including early implementation strategy progress report in response to California winter storms of 1997, FEMA-DR-1155-CA.

Includes 1 foldout map on back inside cover

Beginning on December 29, 1996, an unusually wet and warm weather system generated rainfall of up to 30 inches in areas already wet from previous winter rains. In the northern and central valleys of the Sierra Nevada, water management systems became overburdened. Some of the unfortunate consequences of this event were a series of levee breaks and overtopping which seriously undermined the safety and security of local residents. The location of the heaviest precipitation and breaches in the levee system resulted in inundation of certain areas that had not experienced flooding in recent history. The intensity of the storms also affected locations of chronic flooding where repetitive loss and substantial structural damage are common. Nine deaths have been attributed to the disaster and the Governor's Office of Emergency Services (OES), which is responsible for coordinating disaster-related activities for California, estimates that total damage could exceed $1.6 billion