The president of the United States, Joe Biden, approved this Sunday a catastrophe declaration for the states of California and Alabama, affected in recent weeks by strong storms that have already caused at least 19 deaths.
This measure, which is the next level after declaring a state of emergency, makes federal funds available to affected people in Merced, Sacramento and Santa Cruz counties in California, as well as in Autauga and Dallas counties in Alabama. .
The two states have suffered, since December 27, strong winter storms, which caused flooding, landslides and landslides, and the value of the damages is being evaluated. According to the White House, the assessment could also determine the need for federal assistance in other areas.
That help “may include support for temporary housing and home repairs or low-rate loans to cover uninsured property losses,” as well as help for business owners, Washington says, in a statement released today.
A series of winter storms has battered the West Coast of the United States in the past 15 days, with California bracing for another storm, bringing torrential rain, strong winds and snow, which authorities say could lead to more flooding. landslides and power outages.
The director of the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services said at a news conference Friday that the region is “not out of the woods,” noting that “storms are among the deadliest natural disasters in modern history” of the state. .
The situation is unusual in a state more accustomed to fire and drought. Only the city of San Francisco has recorded, since Christmas Day, the same amount of precipitation that it normally would have in half a year.
Based on data collected through January 10, the “exceptional drought” that has plagued California for the past three years all but disappeared in a matter of weeks.
Source: TSF
