U.S. Rep. Ken Calvert (R-CA) joined a bipartisan, bicameral contingent in calling on U.S. President Joe Biden to grant California’s request for a major disaster declaration in response to the ongoing impacts of Tropical Storm Hilary.
“Residents, small businesses, and farmers throughout the Coachella Valley and beyond continue to recover from Tropical Storm Hilary and are in need of federal disaster assistance,” Rep. Calvert said on Tuesday. “My colleagues and I are hopeful that the Biden administration will act quickly on California’s disaster declaration request so that federal resources are made available to those in need.”
Among the 53 other lawmakers who joined Rep. Calvert in signing the letter were U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), as well as all members representing the state in the U.S. House of Representatives, including Congressmen Kevin McCarthy (R-CA), Young Kim (R-CA), Jay Obernolte (R-CA), Michelle Steel (R-CA), and David Valadao (R-CA).
According to a Sept. 19 letter the members sent to President Biden, the impacts of Hilary began on Aug. 19, when it became the first tropical storm to hammer the state since 1939, bringing severe and unseasonal precipitation along with high winds and flooding that impacted lives, businesses, and critical public infrastructure.
“In response to these dangerous conditions, the State of California marshaled all available resources,” wrote Rep. Calvert and his colleagues. “This includes supporting 24 shelters across the state, mobilizing the National Guard, prepositioning swift water rescue and urban search and rescue teams, and mobilizing more than 2,000 regional transportation crews and 3,900 state police officers.”
Nevertheless, they wrote, the storm’s severity and intensity require additional federal coordination and resources to effectively support the ongoing recovery efforts, wrote the lawmakers, who urged Biden to “expeditiously approve California’s request” and provide all categories of public assistance to nine different counties, including LA, Riverside, San Bernardino, and San Diego.