The next is the total transcript of an interview with FEMA administrator Deanne Criswell on “Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan” that aired on Jan. 12, 2025.
MARGARET BRENNAN: Jonathan Vigliotti, thanks. We flip now to FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell. Welcome again to “Face the Nation.”
FEMA ADMINISTRATOR DEANNE CRISWELL: Good morning, Margaret.
MARGARET BRENNAN: The Santa Ana winds are forecast to proceed into the following week, and that would gasoline a few of the blazes. What’s your largest space of concern proper now?
ADMINISTRATOR CRISWELL: , with these winds coming again, and them issuing the pink flag warnings, you recognize, these winds change the- the dynamics of this fireplace, and so I am involved for the security of our firefighters, involved for his or her means proceed to include this fireplace, and I would like folks to make it possible for they’re listening intently to what native officers are saying, to allow them to keep secure and so they can keep out of hurt’s means.
MARGARET BRENNAN: So, I do know the winds themselves are uncommon for this explicit time of yr, however Los Angeles, within the space, they received loads of expertise with wildfires. They’ve loads of regulation and a big firefighting pressure. Do you will have a way at this level why the realm was so unprepared?
ADMINISTRATOR CRISWELL: I believe that they had been very ready. That is one thing that they’re very used to, they battle fires on a regular basis. However they’ve by no means seen 100 mile an hour winds which are fueling the fireplace, and people winds and that climate situation is what actually impacts, you recognize, the place this fireplace goes to go, however extra importantly, how they’re capable of attempt to include it in these first few hours and days. And since it was in such a populated space, it simply makes it that rather more difficult to have the ability to get in there and safe the perimeter, however as effectively, attempt to save as many properties as potential.
MARGARET BRENNAN: By way of the federal response and the help you are given to native authorities, President Biden spoke a number of instances from the oval workplace this week, and he did point out the necessity to transfer energy traces underground. Are you aware, had been the facility traces a reason behind any of those blazes?
ADMINISTRATOR CRISWELL: Yeah, I haven’t got any data on the trigger, and I believe that is actually going to be one thing that is going to be, you recognize, beneath investigation. However I believe once we take into consideration transferring the facility traces underground, it isn’t simply from the trigger, however it’s additionally, how do you retain the facility on when now we have these extreme climate incidents? Whenever you underground them, you create a extra resilient group, and it will possibly face up to the impacts of all of those various kinds of storms, whether or not it is fires or hurricanes, and we wish to have the ability to preserve these communities energized.
MARGARET BRENNAN: Will that be a requirement for any federal help for the rebuild?
ADMINISTRATOR CRISWELL: It is not going to be a requirement for us until it is a part of their native code, proper? And we wish to have the ability to implement the native codes that they’ve, and so we’ll work intently with California. It is also utilizing this as a chance. , even when it isn’t a requirement, is that this one thing that they need to have the ability to do? We now have further ways in which we will fund that by means of our applications as they start the rebuilding.
MARGARET BRENNAN: The governor has indicated he is taking a look at a variety of govt orders. If native environmental laws are loosened right here with a view to assist rapidly rebuild, does that concern you in any respect? And can it make it extra difficult for folks to acquire ob- insurance coverage, which we already know is kind of costly and arduous for a lot of Californians to get.
ADMINISTRATOR CRISWELL: , the insurance coverage piece is an actual concern. We have, you recognize, heard the tales of so many individuals which have misplaced their insurance coverage previous to this occasion, and that is the primary useful resource that households have to assist with their rebuilding course of. And so what I believe we wish to have the ability to do is we wish to have the ability to work with the governor’s group to rebuild in a means that makes communities extra resilient, that retains insurance coverage firms there, proper, that we rebuild in a means that makes them stronger, and decreasing the influence so that they need to keep in these communities, and so they do not must to lose the insurance coverage carriers. We now have to have the ability to work along with the insurance coverage trade to assist discover methods to- to maintain this actually useful useful resource in place for thus many households.
MARGARET BRENNAN: However, many of those insurance policies had been already canceled months in the past, as we have been reporting. So ought to the federal government, although, be within the enterprise of stepping in and serving to folks rebuild if the personal market has deemed these areas simply too dangerous?
ADMINISTRATOR CRISWELL: , our applications actually assist leap begin the restoration course of, however with out insurance coverage, households are going to have to search out different means to have the ability to rebuild. However once more, it isn’t essentially simply the place you rebuild, it will be how. And we wish to have the ability to do issues that may encourage households to rebuild their properties in a means that make them extra hearth resistant. , now we have loads of science and expertise on the market that exhibits ways in which we will make these properties stronger and extra resistant in opposition to these fires. That is actually the place we have to focus our efforts as we transfer into the rebuilding part.
MARGARET BRENNAN: President Biden stated that 100% of the firefighting prices will likely be picked up for six months on the federal tab, however there may be the separate difficulty of particular person help to victims who misplaced their properties. We checked, and Congress set the utmost FEMA grant degree at simply wanting $44,000. It’s totally costly dwelling in California. Does that have to be raised? Ought to Congress do this?
ADMINISTRATOR CRISWELL: So once more, our applications aren’t designed to switch insurance coverage. Our applications are designed to leap begin the restoration course of, and we all know that in- in lots of areas, not simply California, that you recognize that isn’t going to be sufficient to rebuild a house, which is why insurance coverage is so essential. We’ll work with different companions, and one in every of our best companions is the Small Enterprise Administration that may do low curiosity loans to those households to offer them one other useful resource to assist rebuild. We’ll additionally work with our nonprofit companions, philanthropic companions, bringing the entire society collectively so we will work with every household to assist them determine the suitable instruments that they are going to want and the choices that they are going to must make as they go down this restoration journey
MARGARET BRENNAN: You are describing a extremely expensive enterprise right here. I’ve seen estimates on damages that vary from $60 to $130 billion. Do you will have any ballpark determine at this level–
ADMINISTRATOR CRISWELL: –No–
MARGARET BRENNAN: –As a result of it might appear, based on President Biden, that Congress goes to must do extra.
ADMINISTRATOR CRISWELL: Yeah, I haven’t got any good estimates proper now, and I believe it is essential to keep in mind that these fires are nonetheless burning, which implies injury remains to be taking place. However the price for this catastrophe, each from simply the bodily infrastructure, but additionally the financial losses, they are going to be important. There’s going to be different applications that congress can work by means of, like HUD’s Group Growth Block Grant for Catastrophe program, that may additionally assist cowl a few of the issues that FEMA’s applications do not cowl, or different components of the insurance coverage trade. There’s all kinds of various instruments and sources that can be utilized that have to be approved by Congress to essentially assist this group on this street to restoration.
MARGARET BRENNAN: So, Congress did simply present extra emergency funding within the supplemental. So this is- this isn’t a one time downside. This appears to be a recurring have to get increasingly more federal cash right here. Are you able to replace us on the place we’re with the restoration in North Carolina?
08:43:19 Â
ADMINISTRATOR CRISWELL: Yeah, I imply, I am glad you talked about the funding, as a result of we actually had been frightened about that as we had been going into the restoration in North Carolina, however we received bipartisan help from Congress and $27 billion into our catastrophe aid fund so we will help the response and restoration efforts for this fireplace, but additionally the continued restoration efforts which are taking place throughout the six states that had been impacted by Hurricane Helene, in addition to Hurricane Milton. , we’re persevering with to work with- with Governor Stein, now in- in North Carolina, as he is working by means of the restoration piece and, you recognize, engaged on getting the particles removing out of the best way so households can rebuild their properties, serving to them restore the infrastructure. We nonetheless have so many individuals engaged in North Carolina serving to with this restoration course of, as a result of we all know it will be difficult. It is going to be difficult right here in California, however we’ll herald the suitable consultants and the suitable employees to help them all through that journey.
MARGARET BRENNAN Â
Secretary Mayorkas not too long ago instructed us that you just all needed to pull some federal employees out of the realm, out of North Carolina, due to threats in opposition to them that is fueled by misinformation. Has that ended, or is that risk persevering with?
ADMINISTRATOR CRISWELL Â
Yeah, I simply need to be clear, we had one particular incident at at some point throughout the response in North Carolina, the place we pulled folks from going door to door, however we at all times stored our amenities open, and we had folks in all of these communities. However it’s actually unlucky that we had to try this proper as a result of the misinformation was creating these harassing environments for our employees. We do- it isn’t like what we noticed, you recognize, throughout these preliminary days in North Carolina, however we have put measures in place to make it possible for our employees know that they are secure and that they are protected, and that we will proceed to help folks. They’re going door to door, nonetheless speaking to people, and now we have these fastened amenities the place people can come discuss to us. However you recognize, that is going to be one thing we’ll must face going ahead is that this degree of misinformation that is going on the market and getting folks to know that they’ll entry our applications, we’ll must work intently with native officers on all these occasions to verify we’re getting the suitable data to the folks which were impacted.
MARGARET BRENNAN Â
Effectively, we recognize you becoming a member of us in the present day to get the message out. Administrator Criswell, good luck to you.
ADMINISTRATOR CRISWELL: Thanks.
