President Joe Biden has approved an amendment to include San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara counties to his major disaster declaration, Congressman Salud Carbajal's office announced on Tuesday.
Rep. Carbajal (D-24), Rep. Jimmy Panetta (D-19), and other state leaders had been lobbying the Biden Administration to include the Central Coast in a major disaster declaration due to the damage from last week's storms and flooding.
Biden's amendment also adds Monterey County to the original declaration approved last week for Merced, Sacramento, and Santa Cruz counties.
“I am grateful to President Biden and FEMA leadership for hearing the stories that I and others have shared from the Central Coast this past week and recognizing the need for direct federal assistance to help not only our municipal repair crews, but also the individual residents and business owners that have had livelihoods wrecked by this month’s storms,” Carbajal said.
According to Carbajal's office, the president's approval of individual and public assistance through the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) will allow Central Coast residents and business owners to apply directly for relief, as well as support repair and replacement work being done by local governments and emergency managers in both counties.
People in the included counties can apply for FEMA relief in the following ways:
- Apply online at www.DisasterAssistance.gov
- Call the application phone number at 1-800-621-3362
