ANTIOCH, Calif.—Paradise Skate Roller Rink was preparing to host a New Year’s Eve bash when floodwaters poured in from a nearby creek, destroying the wooden floor and leaving the decades-old business in this San Francisco Bay Area suburb out of commission for months.
“Mother Nature could have been a little nicer, but I think she has a head of her own,” general manager Bob Bruce said earlier this week, walking carefully on the warped floor as dozens of beach balls intended to drop at midnight Jan. 1 remained suspended in a ceiling net.
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All over California, residents and businesses are picking up the pieces after being pummeled by some of the most destructive storms to hit the state in decades. From San Diego in the south to Sonoma in the north a parade of nine atmospheric rivers—so-called because they funnel water over a narrow area—have unleashed enough rain since Christmas to surpass the totals of some recent years.
Many welcomed precipitation in the drought-stricken state, but not so much in so short a timespan. Oakland received nearly 17 inches of rain between Dec. 26 and Jan. 19, 89% of its normal annual total, while downtown Los Angeles was soaked with 1.82 inches on Jan. 14, breaking the previous single-day rain record of 1.56 inches, according to the National Weather Service. The Sierra Nevada range was buried under more than 15 feet of snow. At least 20 people died in the storms, according to officials.
While much of the damage is still being assessed, people who work in industries ranging from tourism to farming have been affected, as have an assortment of businesses that suffered flooding and other damage. The storms also damaged public infrastructure.
“The scale and duration of these atmospheric rivers has impacted homes, businesses, vehicles, boats, agriculture and infrastructure like roads, bridges, levees, docks and piers,” said Adam Smith, a climate scientist with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
Jonathan Porter, the chief meteorologist at AccuWeather Inc., pegs the total costs associated with the storms at $31 billion to $34 billion, including lost economic output. He said roughly half of that sum stems from property and infrastructure damage, with water causing the most problems.
“Once water gets into your home or business, you have all kinds of issues to remove walls, floors, other materials,” Mr. Porter said.
Sacramento County officials said the storms caused about $123 million in damage, including from trees falling into homes in the older, downtown part of the state capital.
In Los Angeles County, repairs to public property will likely cost at least $100 million, officials said.
President Biden this week announced federal disaster declarations for four California counties, adding to three he announced last week. On Thursday, the president toured the damaged waterfront of Santa Cruz County, including the seaside resort of Capitola, where waves cut a historic pier in two.
Under the declarations, individuals and businesses can apply for direct assistance from the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
Dozens of other counties affected by the storms are seeking federal disaster assistance, too. “We’re a small, rural county, so it’s always a challenge to have resources and be recognized,” said Kathy Gallino, spokeswoman for Calaveras County, population 47,000.
Ms. Gallino said the county in the Sierra Nevada foothills, known for its Gold Rush history, has lost tourists because of roads closed by landslides and damage to grapes in its vineyards. A total damage estimate is still being compiled, she said.
Officials with FEMA didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.
The Small Business Administration is beginning to process applications for low-interest loans for storm victims throughout the state, regardless of whether the people affected are in an official disaster area.
In Antioch, which isn’t included in the disaster declarations, Mr. Bruce said his roller-rink business probably would apply for an SBA loan to help offset the estimated $200,000 cost of replacing a 9,248-square-foot skating floor made of maple. He said the rink, which first opened in 1969 and employs 18 people, would be unable to open for three to six months.
“We’ll be back, but it’s going to be hard,” Mr. Bruce said.
California’s tourism business has been disrupted in places such as the Big Sur coast, where landslides have blocked scenic Highway 1. More than 560 slides have been reported statewide from the storms, including one partially blocking a mountainous stretch of Interstate 5 in Southern California.
California’s agriculture industry also has suffered damage. In Monterey County, officials estimated losses of $40 million to $50 million from flooded fields. In the Central Valley, farmers reported some almond trees ripped out by winds and expressed concern about water damage to roots.
The rain isn’t all bad for agriculture, however. Farmers have been hard hit by California’s three-year drought, losing access to much of the water they receive from reservoirs managed by state and federal agencies. But with reservoirs refilling now because of all the rain, they are likely to get more water this year, said Chris Scheuring, senior counsel of the California Farm Bureau.
“We’d like to see more of it,” he said of the rain, “but not necessarily with the intensity.”
Similarly, Lake Tahoe ski resorts lost business during the Martin Luther King weekend because of road closures, but stand to benefit from the giant snowpack over the next several months, said Andy Chapman, chief executive officer of Travel North Tahoe Nevada, a tourism promotion group.
Write to Jim Carlton at Jim.Carlton@wsj.com
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