Biden approved the declaration of catastrophe in California after the strong storms that have left 19 dead

Biden approved the declaration of catastrophe in California after the strong storms that have left 19 dead. (Reuters)

The president of the United States, Joe Biden, approved this Sunday the declaration of catastrophe in the state of California, affected in recent weeks by a strong storm.

Biden confirmed that there is a serious catastrophe in California and ordered federal help to carry out the recovery of the areas affected by the severe winter storms that have caused flooding, landslides and mudslides throughout the state since December 27 until today.

This measure, a step beyond the declaration of a state of emergency, makes federal funds available to affected people in Merced, Sacramento and Santa Cruz counties.

According to a White House statement, this help “may include grants for temporary housing and home repairs, low-cost loans to cover uninsured property losses” as well as help for business owners.

At this time, the damage caused by the heavy rains is still being assessed and the US government does not rule out the designation of federal aid in other areas once the assessments are complete.

According to a White House statement, this help “may include grants for temporary housing and home repairs, low-cost loans to cover uninsured property losses” as well as help for business owners. (Reuters)

A series of winter storms have battered the West Coast of the United States in the past 15 days, killing at least 19 people in California so far.

The state is also preparing for a new round of torrential rains, strong winds and snowfall. As the authorities have warned, this new storm could trigger new floods, landslides and power outages.

According to information from Bloomberg, the director of the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services stated at a press conference this Friday that the state “is not yet out of danger.” “These storms are among the deadliest natural disasters in our state’s modern history,” she added.

Bands of rain with gusty winds began in the north and spread to the south, with more storms expected through early next week, the National Weather Service warned.

The state is also preparing for a new round of torrential rains, strong winds and snowfall. As the authorities have warned, this new storm could trigger new floods, landslides and power outages. (Reuters)

More than 68,000 utility customers lost power Saturday morning, a number that more than halved by afternoon, according to poweroutage.us.

Flood warnings have been issued for the region north of the San Francisco Bay, including Marin, Napa, Sonoma and Mendocino counties.

To the south, advisories were posted for parts of some counties, including San Mateo and Santa Cruz, where the small community of Felton Grove along the St. Lawrence River was ordered to evacuate. An evacuation order has also been issued for residents of the Wilton area in semi-rural southeastern Sacramento County. Authorities cited the threat of overflow of the Cosumnes River.

Swollen Salinas River flooded farmland in Monterey County and, to the east, flood warnings were in effect for Merced County, in the agricultural Central Valley, where Governor Gavin Newsom went to assess the problems caused by Storm.

Flood warnings have been issued for the region north of the San Francisco Bay, including Marin, Napa, Sonoma and Mendocino counties. (Reuters)

“The reality is that this is only the eighth of what we anticipate will be nine atmospheric rivers — we’re not done,” Newsom said at a briefing with local officials urging people to be vigilant for the next 24 to 48 hours.

“This is happening all over California, but I mean … you guys are disproportionately bearing the brunt of it, and if you feel that way, you’re right,” Newsom said.

(With information from Europa Press and The Associated Press)

Keep reading:

The storms do not stop in California: an eighth consecutive storm will bring “catastrophic floods”Prince Harry and Meghan Markle received an evacuation order due to floods in CaliforniaThe dramatic video of Ellen Degeneres in the midst of the rains and floods that have already left 14 dead in California

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