US President Joe Biden disembark from Air Force One on his arrival at Osan Air Base in Pyeongtaek on May 20, 2022.
Lee Jin-man | AFP | Getty Images
President Joe Biden landed in California on Thursday to view areas affected by severe storms and assess additional federal support needed for recovery efforts.
The president surveyed parts of Santa Clara and Santa Cruz counties along the state’s central coast, where recent storms caused floods and landslides.
Biden was joined on Marine One by Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom, Sen. Alex Padilla, D-Calif., and Deanne Criswell, head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, along with others, for an aerial tour of impacted areas.
He later spoke with Democratic Reps. Zoe Lofgren and Jimmy Panetta of California, and Watsonville Mayor Eduardo Montesino.
Biden is set to meet later on Thursday with business owners and residents impacted by the storms.
A flooded house is seen partially underwater in Gilroy, California, on January 09, 2023.
Josh Edelson | AFP | Getty Images
White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters Wednesday that Biden has been closely monitoring the situation in California in recent weeks and is regularly briefed by his homeland security team. He has remained in contact with Newsom and local officials.
Biden’s visit comes after the White House announced he approved a disaster declaration for California focusing federal aid on three hard-hit counties: Merced, Sacramento and Santa Cruz. The declaration provides federal support for debris removal, emergency protective measures and individual assistance for homes that have been damaged by the storms. More than 500 FEMA and other federal personnel have been deployed to aid the response and recovery operations, Jean-Pierre said.
California has been battered by a series of storms since late December, leaving at least 21 people dead, according to an NBC News tally.
