Biden Declares California In State Of Emergency Due To Flooding

By John Hammon

As of this Monday January 9th, president Joe Biden has officially declared the state of California in a state of emergency after a barrage of deadly winter storms hit the state and caused widespread power outages and flooding. The flooding and extreme weather has been going on for about a week now, with 12 confirmed deaths, and power outages for hundreds of thousands of homes and businesses across the state. 

Forecasters from the National Weather Service have predicted the arrival of more cyclones over the next few days that will most likely flood more of central and Northern California. “Round after round of heavy rain on saturated soils will produce considerable flood potential with rapid river rises, mudslides and burn scar flash floods or debris flows,” said the National Weather Services in a bulletin. 

Joe Biden approved the emergency declaration during his visit to the North American Leaders’ Summit in Mexico City. The Governor of California Gavin Newsom brought the severity of the state’s situation to the president, as he said on Sunday January 8th, that he was in close contact with the White House to ensure the state had adequate aid. 

The emergency declaration set in motion by president Biden allows the Department of Homeland Security and the Federal Emergency Management Agency to help and orchestrate all disaster relief efforts and provide assistance for required emergency measures. It covers the counties of El Dorado, Los Angeles, Mariposa, Mendocino, Merced, Monterey, Napa, Placer, Riverside, Sacramento, San Bernardino, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, Sonoma, Stanislaus, and Ventura.