President Biden Grants Major Disaster Declaration for Santa Cruz County After Urging by U.S. Rep. Panetta
Santa Cruz, CA – Today, President Joseph R. Biden Jr., granted a Major Disaster Declaration for the State of California and designated Santa Cruz County as one of the first recipients of this federal assistance. This week, U.S. Representative Jimmy Panetta (CA-19), led his California colleagues in Congress in asking for that presidential designation in order to receive federal support for the counties in the 19th Congressional District, including Santa Cruz County. Over the weekend, Rep. Panetta surveyed numerous locations in Santa Cruz, Monterey, and San Luis Obispo Counties to observe firsthand and speak to victims of the devastation. Rep. Panetta continues to coordinate with community, city, county, state, and federal officials in order to ensure that the resources of the Federal government are available and accessible to his constituents in the 19th Congressional District during the recovery and repair response.
"The people of California's 19th Congressional District are tough and resilient. However, their lives and livelihoods have been impacted greatly by these severe storms and need the help of the Federal government," said U.S. Rep. Panetta. "I thank President Biden for his quick response to our request for this disaster declaration, and urge him to quickly add Monterey, San Luis Obispo, and Santa Clara counties to this designation. We now must ensure that the federal resources are available and accessible to the people and local governments who were hit hard by these storms. I will continue to live up to my responsibility as the federal representative to listen to those impacted individuals, coordinate with local officials, and ensure that the federal government plays its part for an efficient and effective recovery."
On January 12, Rep. Panetta and U.S. Senator Alex Padilla (D-CA) led and authored a bipartisan letter of the full Californian Senate and Congressional delegation urging President Joe Biden to declare a major disaster declaration for the State of California in response to recent severe weather. President Biden has since declared a Major Disaster Declaration in Santa Cruz County to provide federal support for emergency work and repairs as well as individual assistance for individuals and families. The Small Business Administration (SBA) has also announced that Santa Cruz County and contiguous counties, including Monterey and Santa Clara Counties, are eligible for disaster loans for businesses and housing.
On January 11, Rep. Panetta led and authored a bipartisan letter with 38 California Members of Congress to Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg and Federal Highway Administrator (FHWA) Shailen Bhatt to request expedited support, funding, and other assistance to the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) in response to the ongoing winter storms that have severely damaged road and highway infrastructure across the state.
On January 9, Representative Panetta co-led a letter with Representative Salud Carbajal urging President Joe Biden to amend California's federal emergency declaration to include San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara counties. President Biden approved that request.
On January 13 and 14, Rep. Panetta visited over 30 sites throughout the 19th Congressional District to survey the damage, speak to government and community officials, and hear directly from victims impacted by the storms. Congressman Panetta met with numerous local officials and constituents in Santa Cruz, Monterey, and San Luis Obispo Counties.
The Presidential Disaster Declaration triggers the release of Federal funds to help individuals and communities recover from the severe winter storms, flooding, landslides, and mudslides that occurred December 27, 2022 and continuing. Such funds will be coordinated through the Federal Emergency Disaster Administration (FEMA) and can be used for assistance to individuals and households, emergency work and the repair and replacement of disaster-damaged facilities, debris removal and emergency protective measures, mitigation to prevent or reduce long term risk to life and property from natural hazards.
Individuals in Santa Cruz County can apply with FEMA at www.DisasterAssistance.gov or call FEMA's disaster assistance phone number at 1-800-621-3362. For further assistance or information, individuals can also call the office of Rep. Panetta at 831-424-2229. Individual assistance includes funds for temporary housing, repair or replacement of homes, uninsured disaster-related expenses, and hazard mitigation, in addition to other critical services.
Additionally, households and small businesses in Santa Cruz, Monterey, and Santa Clara counties can apply for disaster loans at https://disasterloanassistance.sba.gov/ela/s/. The SBA offers disaster assistance in the form of low interest loans to businesses, nonprofit organizations, homeowners, and renters located in regions affected by declared disasters. SBA also provides eligible small businesses and nonprofit organizations with working capital to help overcome the economic injury of a declared disaster. You do not need to be a small business to access SBA home and personal property loans.
California has experienced multiple severe recent weather events, including as many as ten strong atmospheric rivers and a bomb cyclone system, which have caused significant and widespread flooding, mudslides, erosion, sinkholes, power outages, and evacuations for thousands of Californians across the state. Rep. Panetta will continue to be on the ground in the district this week to listen to victims and work with government officials in order to ensure further designation of impacted counties in the 19th Congressional District. Throughout the recovery process, Rep. Panetta will work to ensure that FEMA properly administers these funds in a timely and efficient manner in the 19th Congressional District.
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