California Governor Gavin Newsom is asking Congress for nearly $40 billion in disaster funding to help Los Angeles recover and rebuild areas scorched by last month's devastating wildfires, the Washington Post reported on Friday citing a letter.
"It's going to take an all-hands-on-deck approach to rebuild from the devastating fires in LA," Newsom said in a post on social media platform X that tagged the report.
"I'm asking Congress to have the back of the American people and provide disaster funding to help Californians recover and rebuild as soon as possible," he said, opens new tab, confirming the letter first reported by the Washington Post.
The Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles and Altadena on the eastern flank of the metropolis were the sites of the worst of the January blazes. At least 29 people died in the fires that damaged or destroyed more than 16,000 structures.
"The total impact on California's economy will take years to fully quantify," Newsom wrote in the letter to congressional leaders according to the newspaper report.
Newsom also said in the letter that California may request more funds in the future, but that the dollars requested "will directly support these communities in both the immediate and long-term recovery work needed to rebuild lives and properties."
The biggest part of the funding request includes $16.8 billion to cover fire response costs, debris removal, and the repair of roads, bridges, public buildings and utilities, according to the report.
Newsom also asked for an additional $9.9 billion to help rebuild housing and infrastructure, the report said.
In a meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump earlier this month, the California Governor urged him to support federal disaster relief for his state.
Private forecaster AccuWeather projects damage and economic losses from the wildfires at more than $250 billion, which would make them the costliest natural disaster in U.S. history.
Israel's defence minister said on Wednesday Israeli troops will not withdraw from southern Lebanon, highlighting a hurdle to Iran-U.S. peace talks, as...
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has said he will “most likely” hold bilateral talks with U.S. President Donald Trump during next month’s...
Russia has called for clarification on whether U.S. President Donald Trump has changed his position on the war in Ukraine following remarks made at th...
The European Union and Taliban officials held talks in Brussels on Tuesday on consular services and the situation of Afghans whose asylum applications...
Iran is preparing for a week-long farewell to former Supreme Leader Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei, who was killed in February during Israeli-U.S. air r...
Google-owned YouTube has settled a lawsuit brought by a teenage plaintiff who claimed the platform harmed his mental health, avoiding what would have been the second California trial over allegations that social media companies fuel youth addiction.
A U.S. Air Force B-52 Stratofortress bomber crashed on takeoff on Monday at Edwards Air Force Base in Southern California's Mojave Desert, bursting into flames and killing all eight crew members aboard, Air Force officials said.
Google has asked U.S. regulators for permission to release up to 32 million sterilised mosquitoes in California and Florida as part of its experimental “Debug” programme aimed at reducing populations of disease-carrying insects.
Investigators have discovered what officials described as “anti-Islamic writings” inside a vehicle connected to the two teenagers accused of carrying out the deadly shooting at a mosque in San Diego, according to a U.S. Department of Justice official familiar with the case.
Israel's defence minister said on Wednesday Israeli troops will not withdraw from southern Lebanon, highlighting a hurdle to Iran-U.S. peace talks, as the top U.S. diplomat tours the Middle East to win over allies sceptical about a proposed deal.
A Ukrainian strike has damaged a school building in a Russian-controlled area of Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia region, according to local authorities cited by the TASS news agency. No injuries were reported in the incident.
U.S. President Donald Trump said that Iran had agreed to nuclear inspections into "infinity, despite Tehran's denials, and that unfrozen Iranian assets would be used to buy humanitarian supplies from the United States.
Authorities in France are reporting that about 20 people have died over the weekend while swimming in unsupervised areas of rivers, lakes and coastal waters as they tried to escape the heatwave.
Ebola cases in the Democratic Republic of Congo have surpassed 1,000, with health officials warning that the outbreak is spreading rapidly through displacement camps and across borders.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has said he will “most likely” hold bilateral talks with U.S. President Donald Trump during next month’s NATO summit in Ankara, where the American leader is expected to attend.
Russia has called for clarification on whether U.S. President Donald Trump has changed his position on the war in Ukraine following remarks made at the recent G7 summit in Evian-les-Bains.
The European Union and Taliban officials held talks in Brussels on Tuesday on consular services and the situation of Afghans whose asylum applications have been rejected in Europe.
China’s anti-corruption authorities have launched an investigation into Bian Zhigang, a senior defence and space official, over suspected serious violations of discipline and law, officials said on Wednesday.
Alibaba, one of the world's largest technology and e-commerce companies, has sued the U.S. Pentagon after being added to a blacklist of firms it claims support China's military, escalating a dispute with potentially significant consequences for the company.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment