City Prepares for Possible Help from Federal Government

In a procedural move, the City Council Thursday retroactively approved the local state of emergency that has been declared in the city since last week's gas explosion and fire.

The move was an important step in making sure the city can maintain its longterm financial stability given the amount of resources it has taken to respond to the disaster and the resources the city will require once the rebuilding process begins in the Crestmoor neighborhood.

Fortunately for the city, San Bruno will get reimbursed for the disaster costs thanks to the state's emergency declaration last week. However, those costs only cover 75 percent of the funds.

The city's action Thursday will allow the city to prepare the necessary documents to support what officials have been hoping for and what Gov. Arnold Schwarnegger called for Wednesday: a federal state of emergency declared by the Obama administration, which would allow the city to tap into funds from the Federal Emergency Management Agency to cover the rest of the costs.

Officials said they are confident the funds will come. But they cautioned the city to make sure there are no mistakes made in the request for federal assistance because FEMA has been known in the past to not come through.

"We're doing everything necessary, and we are at least mindful of the need to do everything right, in order to maximize our opportunity for recovery," City Managager Connie Jackson said.