Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Administrator Deanne Criswell said Sunday that U.S. troops are ready to deploy to help contain wildfires that have devastated Los Angeles.
“Active-duty military personnel have been given ‘prepare to deploy’ orders to be ready to engage and continue to support firefighting efforts,” Criswell told ABC’s “This Week.” “The incident commander at each command post will Know exactly what they need and if they need something else, we can step in and support them.”
That includes 500 active-duty Marines and 10 Navy helicopters, according to the U.S. Department of Defense Department of Defense.
Asked why the state had not yet requested military assistance, Criswell said she would defer to incident commanders who “know what the needs are and where they need to put people.”
“Usually, in these cases, it’s very strategic. It’s not always necessary to have more people involved,” she added. “We have to make sure it’s safe. And, you know, you can only have so many aircraft in space. So they’ll know the specifics of the tactics they’re using, but we want to make sure our needs are not too late if they They can move them in if needed.
Criswell said her “biggest concern” is that Los Angeles “remains in such a dangerous situation” as wildfires rage.
“The red flag warnings have been reissued. The winds are coming back. We still want to make sure people are in a safe place,” she said in a separate interview on ABC’s “This Week with George Stephanopoulos.”
“I know this is hard for a lot of people because they want to go back and see their homes and see if there’s anything left,” Criswell continued. “But this life safety component, not just for them but to make sure our firefighters don’t get hurt as well, is the most important part as they continue to try to control the fire.”
Wind is a major problem. California Governor Gavin Newsom said strong winds could further spread wildfires over the next 48 hours.
“The challenge is the wind. Tonight, Sunday night, the wind is going to come back. On Monday, the wind is going to peak. We’re going to see gusts over 50 mph, but that could change,” Newsom said Sunday in Alta. Diener told Meet the Press. “So now we’re prepositioning assets. Not only are we prepositioning in the theater, the existing five-plus fires, but we’re now expanding that into some other counties and moving some of them further south. The expectation is that we’ll probably be in the new Places, new beginnings see some emergencies.
“These winds have changed the dynamics of this fire, so I’m worried about the safety of our firefighters and their ability to continue to control the fire, and I want people to make sure they’re listening carefully to their local officials,” Chris Welle of the Federal Emergency Management Agency said. Speaking on “Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan” on Sunday:
When asked why officials were not prepared to respond to the fires, Criswell told Brennan that “they were well prepared” but “they had never seen 100 mph winds fueling The fire, and these wind and weather conditions are what caused the fire to spread.
“Because it’s in a densely populated area, it becomes more challenging to get in there and secure the perimeter, but also try to save as many homes as possible,” Criswell added.
Criswell also warned affected Los Angeles residents not to return to their homes.
“I know a lot of people may want to go back into the area to check on their homes, but as the winds pick up, you never know which way they’re going to go,” she told CNN on Sunday. ” State of the Union Address.”
As of Sunday morning, the Eaton Fire is 27% contained nbc news reportciting data from the U.S. Forest Service’s Los Angeles National Forest Division. Palisades fire remains at 11% containment, According to Cal Fire.
— CNBC’s Li Yun contributed reporting.
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