Lawmakers request disaster relief package for California farms damaged by storms, flooding
U.S. Democratic Reps. Jimmy Panetta and Salud Carbajal are leading a group of California lawmakers urging the creation and passage of a disaster recovery package in the U.S. House of Representatives.
The legislation will aid recovery efforts for California farms and ranches devastated by historic storms earlier this year, according to lawmakers.
“For nearly three weeks, California was hit with storms that brought intense rain and catastrophic flooding. The historic storms caused tremendous damage to thousands of acres of farms and ranches,” the lawmakers said in a letter to top House leaders and appropriators. “We, therefore, request a disaster recovery package be swiftly put together to allow the rebuilding and recovery process to begin. It is imperative Congress provide much-needed aid to California’s agricultural community to allow for a full and timely recovery.”
Democratic central California Reps. Jim Costa and Zoe Lofgren also joined the call for an emergency supplemental appropriations package, according to a news release.
From Dec. 27, 2022, to Jan. 16, 2023, California had nine atmospheric rivers — each of which held as much water as hurricane-producing powerful storms that dropped around 32 trillion gallons of water on the state, the release said.
Carbajal and Panetta represent areas of California that saw more than $500 million in estimated flood and storm damage to agricultural operations in their region, which is the top industry in both congressional districts and in the state as a whole. California has more agricultural production than any other state in the union, with nearly 70,000 farms operated on 24.3 million acres.
Subsequent storms in California from February through March further complicate recovery efforts — with claims filed with the Farm Service Agency already numbering more than 1,000 and assessments still ongoing, the release said.
The request for a disaster recovery package is being sent to House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., who also represents farmland affected by recent flooding, as well as House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., House Appropriations Committee Chair Kay Granger and Appropriations Committee ranking member Rosa DeLauro.
