Ruiz and Padilla: Biden Administration Declares Major Hilary State Disaster Declaration

US Senator Alex Padilla and Representative Raul Ruiz applauded President Biden for declaring a Major Disaster Declaration for the State of California due to damage caused by August's Tropical Storm Hilary Tuesday.

“I’m grateful that President Biden has approved our request to declare a major disaster in California to help communities in Imperial, Inyo, Kern, Riverside, and Siskiyou counties impacted by Tropical Storm Hilary continue to recover,” said Senator Padilla. “This designation will release urgently needed emergency federal funds to rebuild and help communities hit hardest by the first tropical storm to make landfall in California since 1939,” Padilla added.

Representative Raul Ruiz said, “I am pleased that President Biden has declared a Major Disaster Declaration for the State of California after the damage caused by Tropical Storm Hilary. Now our communities will be able to access the necessary funds to fully recover from the storm’s devastating effects. I will continue to work with local, state, and federal agencies to facilitate the disbursement of these funds and ensure everyone affected obtains the resources they need.”

All of California's representatives in the US Senate and Congress had issued an urgent appeal to the Whitehouse in September asking for the federal designation to grant Governor Gavin Newsom’s request.
The storm caused an estimated more than $126 million in damage in Riverside County alone where rainfall rates approached a 50-year storm for the Coachella Valley areas and in excess of a 1,000-year event in some mountain canyon areas.

Representative Ken Calvert did not immediately issue a statement Wednesday morning on the declaration. He had issued a statement last week expressing his frustrations over the Biden Administration's delay in approving a declaration.

Calvert said, “Two months have now passed since the state of California officially requested a major disaster declaration from the Biden Administration to provide relief from the impacts of Tropical Storm Hilary, which caused significant damage throughout the Coachella Valley." "I know I speak on behalf of many of our impacted residents and communities in expressing my frustration and disappointment with the Biden Administration’s inaction," Calvert said. 

This is a breaking news update. Stay with KESQ News Channel 3 for more reaction and coverage.