[Biden qualified...] FEMA administrator says L.A. officials were "very prepared" for wildfires, but "they have never seen 100-mile-an-hour winds"

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.