Biden gets first-hand look at costly damage to California’s Central Coast

President Joe Biden got a first-hand look Thursday at the costly damage in California from a series of powerful storms, where rain, floods and surging waves have caused billions in damage and at least 20 deaths.

Biden, accompanied by Gov. Gavin Newsom and other officials, flew by helicopter over the battered Central Coast, an area south of San Francisco that experienced some of the worst ravages of the storms that began in late December and only tapered off this week.

His itinerary included the beach town of Capitola, the setting for some of the most dramatic scenes in recent weeks as large waves tore apart a historic wooden wharf and smashed the community’s bright homes and businesses, depositing heavy debris on beaches. People crowded public areas to catch a glimpse of the president.

Speaking from a recently cleared section of beach, Biden predicted it would take years to recover for some areas. He said the federal government would help build stronger infrastructure to withstand extreme weather that — driven by climate change — is becoming common in the state. He noted his administration has already sent $9 billion in disaster aid to California since he took office.

“There's got to be significant changes made and the federal government’s going to be here to help get that done,” he said.

Local officials have just begun tallying the damage left by the storms: Preliminary estimates from Santa Cruz, Santa Clara, San Francisco and Sacramento counties put the figure at a combined $250 million. The statewide total will be well into the billions.

The figures eventually will affect how much money California communities receive through Biden’s recent disaster declaration, which he expanded Wednesday to cover 100 percent of costs for certain debris removal, emergency protective measures and other public assistance in affected areas.

Successive atmospheric rivers barreled over California starting shortly after Christmas, dumping a statewide average of 11.47 inches of rain from Dec. 26 to Jan. 17, with parts of the state receiving more than 30 inches, according to National Weather Service figures published Wednesday evening.

Creeks and rivers flooded, falling boulders destroyed roads and expansive pools formed in low-lying agricultural and suburban areas, damaging homes and vehicles. Winds that gusted above 100 miles per hour in some places downed trees and knocked out power for hundreds of thousands of people.

At least 20 people died, including a 1-year-old boy who was crushed when a tree fell on a mobile home in Sonoma County.

Those accompanying Biden also included Federal Emergency Management Agency Administrator Deanne Criswell, Sen. Alex Padilla, Rep. Anna Eshoo and other officials.