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OC Officials Seek Federal Disaster Relief Funds

SANTA ANA (CBS) — Orange County Board of Supervisors Chairman Bill Campbell and Supervisor Patricia Bates Saturday sent a letter to President Barack Obama and federal officials seeking federal disaster relief money for last month's winter flooding.

Orange County officials estimated the damage from flooding and mudslides at $36 million. The letter from Campbell and Bates asks Obama to declare the county a disaster area in order to free up federal dollars.

"Many Orange County residents are struggling to recover from this disaster with recovery work expected to continue until at least March," Campbell said. "A number of people are still out of their homes due to storm damage, some rural roads have been closed for three weeks and our flood control systems need extensive repair before more storms arrive. It is critical that federal assistance be made available as soon as possible."

The board of supervisors issued a state of emergency for the county Dec. 21.

(©2011 CBS Local Media, a division of CBS Radio Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Wire services contributed to this report.)

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