President Joe Biden approved a federal emergency declaration for California on Wednesday, unlocking funds and resources to combat the raging wildfires that have devastated the state.
“We are prepared to do whatever it takes, for as long as it takes, to control these fires and support rebuilding efforts to restore normalcy. It will be a long journey,” President Biden said.
The Department of Defense announced additional personnel and firefighting resources to assist California, where wildfires have caused extensive damage.
Uncontrolled Blazes Wreak Havoc
Los Angeles County firefighters are battling four life-threatening fires that have claimed at least five lives, destroyed over 1,100 structures, and forced tens of thousands to evacuate. Los Angeles County Fire Chief Anthony C. Marrone stated that more than 2,000 acres have burned with zero containment.
“We were prepared for one or two major wildfires, but not four, especially with these sustained winds and low humidity,” Chief Marrone explained.
In the Pacific Palisades area, fires swept from house to house, driven by hurricane-force winds. Water resources in the area were critically depleted, according to Janisse Quiñones, chief engineer at the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power.
“Our system was pushed to the extreme, with water demand exceeding four times normal levels for 15 consecutive hours,” Quiñones said.
Federal Support Intensifies
More than 2,000 National Guard members have been deployed to assist local firefighters. Aircraft grounded earlier due to high winds resumed operations, deploying water and fire retardants.
The federal government has also provided four large tanker planes and ten helicopters to aid firefighting efforts, with a fifth tanker en route. Meanwhile, tens of thousands remain without power, as over 400,000 homes and businesses across Los Angeles suffer outages, according to poweroutage.us.
Economic losses from the fires are estimated between $52 billion and $57 billion, based on a report by AccuWeather’s Global Weather Center.
Federal and local authorities have urged residents to follow evacuation orders closely and leave immediately when directed to ensure their safety.
