The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is working with families who lost their homes in the deadly Los Angeles wildfires, the agency's chief said.
FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswelltold CNNThe agency has not yet assessed the damage, but announced Thursday that more than 1,000 structures remain destroyed or damaged in both the Pacific Palisades and Eaton fires.
“We know that there are many families who will face great hardship in the coming years,” she said.
On Tuesday, FEMA approved the use of federal funds to support California's firefighting efforts.
The Fire Management Assistance Grant provides funding to cover up to 75 percent of eligible fire suppression costs. FEMA's Disaster Relief Fund allows assistance with firefighting efforts.
Eligible costs include the cost of field camping, equipment use, materials, supplies, and mobilization efforts for firefighting.FEMA said in a release.
President-elect Trump criticized California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass over their handling of the fire response in an online post Thursday. He also criticized President Biden, claiming:FEMA “has no money.”
Meanwhile, Biden said, “We're doing everything necessary to contain the fires,” while Newsom hit back at Trump's criticism during the fires and touted the president's support. .
As first responders continue to battle the fires and authorities assess the damage in the area, Criswell told CNN that the most affected wildfire victims are families who lost everything. He said it was true.
“They lost all their memories, all their belongings, and there was nothing left to even really sift through,” Criswell said. “This has made the recovery process very difficult for so many people, both from a physical point of view of having to rebuild, and from a psychological point of view.
Criswell said FEMA officials are in Sacramento and working with California emergency teams.
FEMA teams will soon begin moving into shelters to help survivors register for federal aid, the newspaper reported.
