Pasadena: As wildfires continue to spread in Southern California, the Department of Homeland Security's Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Region 10 Administrator Susan Reinertson has called for the deployment of regional disaster response teams, to supplement state and local response efforts.
"Yesterday afternoon, Region 10 deployed 24 emergency responders to the affected Counties, and our Mobile Emergency Response System (MERS) detachment has sent a large convoy of support vehicles south toward California," said Reinertson. "MERS is setting up a 300 person Joint Field Office in Pasadena, and will provide communications and command and control support for additional forward operating sites located near front line fire-fighting positions."
FEMA Region 10, headquartered in Bothell, WA, serves the states of Alaska, Idaho, Oregon, and Washington. The region is also poised to provide its resources to support disasters in other areas of the United States when necessary. "Our experiences during past disasters have taught us to assume a proactive, forward-leaning approach," said Reinertson, "This deployment is one example of how the new FEMA will make sure that state and local governments are getting the help that they need from the federal government."
Over 510,000 people have been evacuated as a result of the California wildfires, and more than 1,600 homes have already been destroyed. 20 fires have burned more than 400,000 acres from Mexico’s border to northern Los Angeles County, causing the largest mass evacuation of residents in the State's history.
Yesterday, President George Bush issued an Emergency Disaster declaration for California, and ordered greater federal aid to supplement state and local response activities in the affected areas of Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, San Diego, Santa Barbara, and Ventura Counties.
As a result of the federal declaration, FEMA is authorized to provide appropriate assistance for required emergency measures, authorized under Title V of the Stafford Act, to save lives and protect public health, safety, and property, or to lessen or avert the threat of a catastrophe in the affected counties.
FEMA coordinates the federal government's role in preparing for, preventing, mitigating the effects of, responding to, and recovering from all domestic disasters, whether natural or man-made, including acts of terror.
Three huge Truck RV's with dozens of support vehicles bearing the Homeland Security logo with their satellite antennas pointed south has set up at the Operations Headquarters in a building in Pasadena. Also around the area can be seen Military personnel setting up a series of command and control tents in the building's parking lot. President Bush is expected to visit the California Firestorm's aftermath in Temecula October 25, 2007 as fire still rages in several parts of Southern California.