Biden Visits Northern California to Survey Wildfire Damage
President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. this week visited California to survey damage from the smoldering Caldor Fire in Northern California, now the 15th largest and 16th most destructive wildfire in the state’s history. President Biden recently approved a Presidential Major Disaster Declaration in El Dorado County to assist state, tribal, and local governments with wildfire emergency response and recovery efforts.
During the President’s visit to California, President Biden and Governor Gavin Newsom traveled to the Governor’s Office of Emergency Services (Cal OES) Headquarters to receive a briefing on the Caldor Fire response led by Cal OES Director Mark Ghilarducci, CAL FIRE Director Thom Porter, and U.S. Forest Services Regional Forester Jennifer Eberlien. The President and Governor later surveyed damage from the Caldor Fire in an aerial tour of impacted areas in El Dorado County. The President then discussed how his administration is prioritizing mitigation activities relative to climate change and extreme weather events, including catastrophic wildfires.
Additional information about President Biden’s visit to California is available here. Remarks from the President are available here and available here.