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 probed parts of Santa Clara and Santa Cruz counties along the state’s central coast, where recent storms caused flooding and mudslides.
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 the affected areas.
He later spoke with Democratic Reps. Zoe Lofgren and Jimmy Panetta of California, and Watsonville Mayor Eduardo Montesino.
Biden will meet later Thursday with business owners and residents affected by the storms.
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 national security team. She has kept in contact with Newsom and local officials.
Biden’s visit comes after the White House announced it 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 storms. More than 500 FEMA and other federal personnel have been deployed to assist in response and recovery operations, Jean-Pierre said.
California has been battered by a series of storms since late December, killing at least 21 people, according to an NBC News tally.
