Damages from Easter Sunday's earthquake in economically strapped California's Imperial County have reached tens of millions of dollars, authorities said.
U.S. Rep. Bob Filner and Imperial County Board of Supervisors Chairman Louis Fuentes predicted Thursday that damages will likely top $100 million, though there is no precise count.
Authorities said that water treatment systems suffered severe damage in El Centro, the county seat, and in the cities of Calexico and Imperial.
Three Calexico schools are closed, including one that is unlikely to open before the school year ends, Fuentes said. He also said the county's main hospital, El Centro Regional Medical Center, has extensive damage to administrative offices.
Also on Thurday, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger got a look at damage from the magnitude 7.2 earthquake in Calexico.
On Monday, the Governor proclaimed a state of emergency in Imperial County due to the earthquake which impacted Southern California, disrupted telephone communications, buckled roads, broke water mains and damaged critical water storage facilities.
The closest city to the epicenter on the U.S. side of the border is Calexico. Among the priorities for the small community, getting housing for those who had to be evacuated from their homes or apartments and getting classes back on track in order for students to finish out the school year.
Although injuries attributed to the quake were reported in the U.S., the only deaths blamed on it took place in Mexico, where two people were killed.
