President Joe Biden visited storm-ravaged California this week, delivering remarks in one of the states hardest-hit coastal areas on Thursday.
The state has seen weeks of relentless winter storms as a series of atmospheric rivers brought multiple bouts of heavy rain and, at higher elevations, snow, causing widespread flooding, mudslides and damage.
The ongoing storms have resulted in at least 21 fatalities and forced the evacuation of tens of thousands of residents.
Biden approved a major disaster declaration in California, authorizing federal assistance to state and local governments for response and recovery efforts, and making federal assistance available to individuals in affected counties.
Biden visited communities on Monterey Bay in Santa Cruz County, including Capitola and Aptos. A video shared by Twitter user @Techdog123 shows helicopters flying over Capitola for his visit on Thursday.
In remarks at Seacliff State Park in Aptos, which saw significant damage, Biden stressed the need to “rebuild better.”
“We have to — in terms of the infrastructure, theres got to be significant changes being made. And the federal government is going to be here to help get that done,” he said.
“Since I became President, weve spent $9 billion in disaster assistance to California for the extreme weather events theyve had to go through. Nine billion,” he said, referring to storms along with wildfires. “And these weeks have shown the compounding effect of the disasters.”
