People affected by a blizzard that rocked California and has so far left 12 dead and more stranded and without power with finally get some federal assistance.

California Governor Gavin Newsom, who spent part of the disaster and its fallout in Mexico, has officially declared a state of emergency for the area, which includes San Bernardino, Humboldt, Mendocino, and Placer counties.

BREAKING: CA Gov. Newsom has requested a Presidential Emergency Declaration to authorize fed assistance in responding to the snow storms devastating mountain areas of the state, and to prepare for flooding over next 3-4 days #MountainStrong #SanBernardinohttps://t.co/AYRyh4NarY

— Jennifer Van Laar (@jenvanlaar) March 10, 2023

His request includes:

California is mobilizing personnel and resources to storm-impacted communities throughout the state:

CAL FIRE and Partner Agencies

• 43 crews active statewide, 12 of which are committed to the San Bernardino storm incident (includes crews from California National Guard, California Conservation Corps, and California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation.)
• Two helicopters, two dozers and an Incident Management Team, among other resources.

California National Guard

• The California National Guard is pre-positioning High Water Vehicles and aircraft in preparation for flood response operations.

California Department of Transportation

• Mobilized more than 4,000 crew members to hundreds of incidents statewide, working 24/7 in shifts.
• In San Bernardino County, more than 57 Caltrans employees operating 40 high-powered pieces of equipment, including snowplows, graders, loaders and dump trucks, have removed more than 12.6 million cubic yards of snow off state highways as of March 8, which equates to more than 3,800 Olympic-size swimming pools.

 California Highway Patrol

• Increasing resources in targeted areas to help address storm-related needs – including ensuring full staffing for air operation missions, ready to deploy as needed.
• CHP and Caltrans escorts have been deployed to ensure the safe delivery of food and fuel to the Big Bear and west mountain communities.

Cal OES and Partner Agencies

• Opened 8 shelters in the counties of San Bernardino, Stanislaus, Madera, Merced, Fresno, Butte and Nevada, and facilitated food donations through the California Grocers Association to provide meal kits in San Bernardino County.
• Cal OES has sent 120 operators and over 60 pieces of heavy-duty snow removal equipment to dig out the snow-locked communities of San Bernardino. These resources are removing massive amounts of snow from public roads and other sites to help residents get access to needed supplies.
• Prepositioned 20 swiftwater rescue and urban search and rescue teams, more than 50 fire engines, and over 60 personnel to provide aid to communities impacted by the extreme weather.

Newsom had previously declared a state of emergency before fleeing on his vacation to Mexico. For over a week, people in the affected area were without power and stranded, and in the middle of it, Newsom leaves for a mini vacation with his office refusing to say where he’s gone.

Our own Jennifer Van Laar had some thoughts on the subject.

When Newsom left the state, his office didn’t say where he’s going; they claim it’s a security risk to let people know even vaguely where the Governor is. By the time he returned three days later, thousands of people in San Bernardino, Humboldt, Mendocino, and Placer counties (and likely others) hadn’t had power for 12 days and volunteer search-and-rescue teams had started to find people dead in their homes.

Unlike Cruz, though, Newsom has direct responsibility for disaster response, and he’s abdicated it. And none of Newsom’s leftist fans believe he’s even done anything wrong.

[…]

No, this isn’t Gavin’s “Ted Cruz moment,” because that implies that Cruz didn’t take actions that he should have to help his constituents. Newsom did, and Newsom continues to do so — and Democrats looking the other way while people die are enabling him.

To be completely clear: People have died, and will die in coming days, as a direct result of Gavin Newsom taking off to a foreign country and not ensuring that an appropriate response from state officials took place.

Obviously, it’s great that he’s made the request, but Newsom’s lack of real engagement here has made it clear that he’s more interested in making his state an abortion haven for outsiders and destroying the state’s economy than actually helping the people who live there.