Governor declares emergency status in Imperial County
April 5, 2010 @ 8:33 pm
California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has proclaimed a state of emergency for Imperial County following Sunday’s 7.2 magnitude earthquake, which caused massive outages in power, water, telephone and Internet services and closed several local roads.
The TC Worthy Cash and Carry store on Second Street in Calexico was hit hard by the April 4, 2010 earthquake, measuring 7.2 just 20 miles south of Mexicali. Imperial County authorities say the quake created a "20- by 40-foot gap" in the building's roof. --Photo by Stacy Garcia
At a press conference Monday morning at the Imperial County Office of Emergency Services, emergency coordinator and county fire chief, Tony Rouhotas, said, “As of this morning the governor has been briefed and the emergency proclamation is being drafted as we speak.” But, it wasn’t until more than six hours later, after 4 p.m. Monday, that the governor’s proclamation was officially issued by his press officer, Jeff Macedo, giving the county access to state services in the effort to restore public utilities and other services.
Human damage was minimal in the Imperial Valley following the earthquake. One El Centro resident was hospitalized in serious condition after the violent quake hit at 3:40 p.m. Sunday just south of Mexicali, although Rouhotas would not confirm if the victim was a female, male, child or adult, or how the person was injured.
Damage to businesses in the southern neighborhoods of El Centro and in downtown Calexico was significant, but county officials were unable, or unwilling, to estimate financial losses.
Several blocks of downtown Calexico on Second Street were cordoned off a second day on Monday to vehicular traffic as merchants cleaned up broken glass, ceiling debris, damaged merchandise and dealt with insurance adjusters.
A collapsed roof at the TC Worthy Cash & Carry store at 145 E. Second Street in Calexico was one of the main problems associated with the quake in Calexico. The “20- by 40-foot”gap in the TC Worthy building’s roof, according to county authorities, contributed to the continued closure of downtown Calexico streets.
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