XPost: alt.disasters.drought, alt.wildland.firefighting, alt.politics.democrats XPost: talk.politics.guns, sac.politics

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/fema-administrator-deanne-criswell-los- angeles-wildfires-pacific-palisades/

Washington — FEMA administrator Deanne Criswell said Sunday that L.A.
officials were "very prepared" for devastating wildfires, noting that the
area is prone to fires. But "they have never seen 100-mile-an-hour winds
that are fueling the fire," she said.

"Those winds and that weather condition is what really impacts, you know,
where this fire is going to go, but more importantly, how they're able to
try to contain it in those first few hours and days," Criswell said on
"Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan."

Communities in Los Angeles have been engulfed in wildfires in recent days, which have killed at least 16 people, destroyed more than 12,000
structures, and displaced thousands, officials said. The high winds that
fanned flames in recent days are expected to pick up again this week.

The FEMA administrator said she doesn't have any information on the cause
of the wildfires at this time, though she noted that will be investigated.
She urged as the winds are expected to return, she wants people to "make
sure that they are listening closely to what local officials are saying"
to stay out of harm's way.

When it comes to rebuilding, Criswell said insurance is a "real concern," citing reports of Californians losing their coverage before the fires. She
said insurance is the "number one resource that families have to help with their rebuilding process."

Criswell noted that FEMA programs are in place to "help jump start the
recovery process," not replace insurance. But she said without insurance, "families are going to have to find other means to be able to rebuild."

The maximum FEMA grant level is under $44,000. Criswell acknowledged that
in many places, including California, the amount isn't enough to rebuild a home. She pledged that FEMA will work with its partners, including the
Small Business Administration, which can provide low-interest loans to families, along with nonprofit and philanthropic partners to help affected families rebuild.

The FEMA administrator also noted that "it's not necessarily just where
you rebuild, it's going to be how." Criswell said that the agency wants to encourage families to rebuild their homes to make them more fire
resistant, noting that "that's really where we need to focus our efforts
as we move into the rebuilding phase."

"We want to be able to work with the governor's team to rebuild in a way
that makes communities more resilient, that keeps insurance companies
there," Criswell said. "We have to be able to work together with the
insurance industry to help find ways to keep this really valuable resource
in place for so many families."

As part of building more resilient communities, Criswell also encouraged
moving power lines underground, which in addition to reducing the
possibility of causing wildfires also allows officials to keep power on
during severe weather events.

Criswell didn't provide an overarching figure for the total cost of the
damage in Los Angeles, noting that the fires are still burning and damage
is still occurring. But she urged that there are other programs Congress
can work through to cover some of the damage, saying there's "a wide
variety of different tools and resources" lawmakers can authorize "to
really help this community on this road to recovery."


--
November 5, 2024 - Congratulations President Donald Trump. We look
forward to America being great again.

The disease known as Kamala Harris has been effectively treated and
eradicated.

We live in a time where intelligent people are being silenced so that
stupid people won't be offended.

Durham Report: The FBI has an integrity problem. It has none.

Thank you for cleaning up the disaster of the 2008-2017 Obama / Biden
fiasco, President Trump.

Under Barack Obama's leadership, the United States of America became the
The World According To Garp. Obama sold out heterosexuals for Hollywood
queer liberal democrat donors.

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