President Joe Biden and California Governor Gavin Newsom delivered an update on the wildfire situation currently being faced by not just residents of Santa Monica, but tens of thousands of people across Los Angeles County.
Biden arrived Los Angeles on Monday, where he had initially been set to travel to the Coachella Valley to designate a new national monument. However, as the Santa Ana winds picked up on Tuesday, the monument visit was cancelled. Consequently, the White House faced a quandary, depart early as evacuations in Los Angeles County continued, or remain and draw on the already strained resources of emergency services and local law enforcement.
Opting for the latter, an announcement was made on Wednesday morning – giving local, national and international media less than two hours to react – that a brief conference would be held at the fire station on the grounds of Santa Monica Airport.
"The fact is that the DoD has to rapidly provide additional firefighting personnel across California, National Guard is [utilizing] two monster air firefighting systems and two more are being readied for the National Guard and the Nevada National Guard [and] more are coming from Marin, from the Northern Command and the 10 Navy helicopters," Biden said in a short, prepared statement.
Also in attendance was Santa Monica's Mayor Lana Negrete and Los Angeles County Supervisor Lindsey Horvath, along with Chief Matthew Hallock from the Santa Monica Fire Department and various local and county officials.
"On behalf of all residents here in Southern California, we have repositioned assets this weekend in anticipation of these weather events, the complexity of multiple fires, of the likelihood these events this week and continue over the course of the next many days, impacts of over 1000 structures already that have been destroyed, out of the 1000 people that have been evacuated, lives, lost, traditions, lifestyles, places, torn, some histories, the world to us and just publicly," said Newsom, adding, "Because I think it's important the President happened to be in the region, in town, it's impossible for me to express the level of appreciation and cooperation to receive the White House in this administration. So from all of us, Mr. President, thank you for being here, not just being here today, thank you for being here since the minute this incident started."
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass is reportedly on her way back from Ghana, where she was visiting to celebrate the inauguration of Ghana President John Mahamand and is expected to arrive later on Wednesday.
scott.snowden@smdp.com
