California Governor Gavin Newsom (D) has secured an emergency declaration from the Trump administration surrounding a compromised chemical tank.
“California has just received a Presidential Emergency Declaration for the hazardous materials incident in Garden Grove,” Newsom wrote on social media. “Working in collaboration with local response teams, the state has acted with determination to protect residents in the affected area.”
The emergency declaration allows the federal government, through FEMA, to assist state and local-level governments with “emergency protective measures when lives, public health, or safety are at risk.” For Orange County, the declaration would provide access to public assistance for emergency protective measures; support federal cost-share support for life-saving actions; and pave the way for direct federal assistance.
“California doesn’t wait for disaster to unfold, we act early to protect lives and communities,” Newsom said in a statement upon filing his request. “Working together with our local and federal partners, we’re strengthening our ability to respond quickly and effectively in Garden Grove and across the surrounding communities and ensuring that first responders have the resources they need to keep people safe.”
Newsom issued a state of emergency proclamation on Friday for Orange County residents amid the chemical incident. More than 785 state and local first responders have been mobilized to support “public safety, evacuations, traffic management, sheltering operations, environmental monitoring, and community assistance efforts,” the governor’s office said.
As many as 50,000 residents have evacuated from Garden Grove, California. The issue stems from a pressurized tank at a GKN Aerospace Transparency Systems facility overheating and venting hazardous vapors.
