Washington – President Biden announced Thursday that for the next six months, the federal government will pay 100% of disaster response costs. Forest fire Destroying neighborhoods around the Los Angeles area. The President also said he would ask Congress for more money to help.
Speaking from the White House during a briefing on the fire, the president said federal funding would cover things like clearing debris, setting up temporary shelters and paying first responders. Mr Biden said he was moving all federal resources to Southern California, including 400 federal firefighters and 30 federal firefighting aircraft and other assets.
Mr. Biden described the damage as “devastating,” adding, “I told the governor and local officials, leave no stone unturned.”
The 100% disaster response coverage from the federal government for the next 180 days is more than the 75% previously allocated by the president, and more than the 90% Mr. Biden said California Gov. Gavin Newsom had requested. The damage is expected to be one of the costliest disasters in California history. Three fires are still raging and 179,000 people have been forced to evacuate their homes, the president said.
Congress may need to pass supplemental funding to boost reconstruction efforts, and the President urged Congress to “step up.”
“I'm going to appeal to the United States Congress right now,” he said.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency is working with displaced locals to get immediate supplies, such as baby food, to them. The President said the federal government will help the people there not only recover, but ultimately rebuild.
“We are with you,” Mr Biden said. “We're not going anywhere. To the firefighters and first responders, you are heroes.”
Top Biden administration officials said, beyond the immediate risks to life and safety, their biggest long-term concern is the mental health strain the disaster is placing on residents.
Vice President Kamala Harris, whose Southern California neighborhood was evacuated, called the damage “catastrophic.” His press secretary said that no one was at his house when the neighborhood was evacuated.
“We're literally waiting to see which way the wind blows,” he said.
The president also said that a member of his family lives in the affected area, and that family member said that more than 200 homes were burned in the neighborhood. The President did not reveal the identity of that family member.
multiple fires At least five people have died so far, homes have been destroyed and vegetation and wildlife have been scorched. The Palisades fire near the coast is the largest, followed by fires further away in Pasadena.
Jay C. Hong/AP
More than 1,300 structures have burned, officials said Thursday, while 60,000 structures are at risk as wildfires rage through densely populated and upscale areas of Southern California.
Mr Biden was scheduled to speak in Thermal, California, earlier this week, but his remarks were canceled due to extremely high winds. While in California he was informed about the fire. chairman Italy trip canceled to meet with Pope Francis and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni this week to focus on the federal response to the fires.
The President approved Newsom's request for a Presidential Major Disaster Declaration, freeing up federal resources to support the response.
The White House said Wednesday that U.S. Forest Service air tankers and 10 federal firefighting helicopters were working to extinguish the blaze, and the Forest Service deployed dozens of fire trucks. The Pentagon has also prepared firefighting personnel and capabilities. storm force Santa Ana windsDry conditions and lack of adequate water have fueled the fires. There is a possibility of strong winds on Friday.
Earlier on Thursday the President was given the latest information on the fires and the response to them Funeral of late President Jimmy Carter,
Asked if he believed the next administration would give California the aid it needs, the President responded, “I pray to God they will.”