Torres, Ruiz, Aguilar, and Takano Write Letter to President Biden Urging Him to Send Federal Disaster Assistance to Southern California
Pomona, CA – Today, Rep. Torres (CA-35), Rep. Ruiz, M.D. (CA-25), Rep. Aguilar (CA-33), and Rep. Takano (CA-39) released the following statement on their advocacy urging President Biden to send federal disaster assistance to Southern California:
"The Inland Empire has time and again come together to rebuild from flooding, wildfires, and mudslides, and we will do so again. Our communities are resilient, but we need federal aid to bounce back from Tropical Storm Hilary," said Congresswoman Torres. "Alongside my Inland Empire colleagues, I am calling on President Biden to send federal support to California to assist in the long-term recovery from this storm. I also want to thank the brave first responders who protect our communities and the local authorities who keep us informed during major disasters. I look forward to working with local, state, and federal partners to help our communities recover quickly and build resilient infrastructure to withstand future severe weather events."
“After Governor Newsom declared a state of emergency for the state of California on Saturday, I led a letter, along with my Inland Southern California colleagues, to President Biden urging him to send federal disaster assistance to Southern California,” said Dr. Ruiz. “There has been extensive damage to our district after Tropical Storm Hilary and our communities need the resources to start rebuilding. I will continue to advocate for the federal disaster funding necessary to help ensure our communities recover from the storm’s devastating effects.”
“After an unprecedented storm, Inland Empire residents are counting on a swift federal response to help our community rebuild,” Rep. Aguilar said. “I’m grateful to Governor Newsom, our state officials and local first responders for the work they did to keep residents safe and prepared. More help is needed, and I trust the Biden-Harris administration will respond accordingly.”
"The response to Tropical Storm Hillary must be timely and proportionate to the flooding and destruction seen in the Inland Empire," said Congressman Mark Takano. "It is imperative that the President prioritizes new avenues to recovery so that our communities and businesses can start to rebuild."
Background:
There are two types of disaster declarations provided for in the Stafford Act: emergency declarations and major disaster declarations. Both declaration types authorize the President to provide supplemental federal disaster assistance. However, the events related to the two different types of declarations and scope and amount of assistance differ.
The President can declare a major disaster for any natural event, including any hurricane, tornado, storm, high water, wind-driven water, tidal wave, tsunami, earthquake, volcanic eruption, landslide, mudslide, snowstorm, or drought, or, regardless of cause, fire, flood, or explosion, that the President determines has caused damage of such severity that it is beyond the combined capabilities of state and local governments to respond. A major disaster declaration provides a wide range of federal assistance programs for individuals and public infrastructure, including funds for both emergency and permanent work.