The small Monterey County farming community of Pajaro, which was devastated by this winter's storms, is finally getting federal assistance – help some say is arriving much later than it should be.
Along the Pajaro River Wednesday, Sen. Alex Padilla led a group of federal, state and local agencies in announcing $149 million as part of its emergency declaration for what it called an underserved region. The funds are designed to rebuild and modernize the levee and provide repair assistance.
The group acknowledged Pajaro and Watsonville shouldn’t have had to wait so long.
"It’s now our job to make sure that tragedy doesn’t strike again while funding is in the pipeline," Padilla said.
Some residents remain skeptical after watching emergency aid get delivered to other higher income communities.
NBC Bay Area's Robert Handa has more in the video report above.
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