This means that federal funds can be released for reconstruction, among other things, as the White House announced late Saturday evening (local time). There could also be grants for emergency accommodation, home repairs and uninsured property damage, it said.
Since December 27, California has been hit by severe winter storms, flooding, landslides and mudslides. Severe weather warnings apply to millions of residents, thousands of households are without electricity. On Saturday, the usually sun-drenched west coast state saw further heavy rain and some snowfall. So far, at least 19 fatalities have been counted, for example from falling trees or flash floods.