FEMA administrator says L.A. officials were “very prepared” for wildfires, but “they have never seen 100-mile-an-hour winds”

Washington — FEMA administrator Deanne Criswell said Sunday that L.A. officials were “very prepared” for devastating wildfires, noting that the area is prone to fires. But “they have never seen 100-mile-an-hour winds that are fueling the fire,” she said.

“Those winds and that weather condition is what really impacts, you know, where this fire is going to go, but more importantly, how they’re able to try to contain it in those first few hours and days,” Criswell said on “Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan.”

Communities in Los Angeles have been engulfed in wildfires in recent days, which have killed at least 16 people, destroyed more than 12,000 structures, and displaced thousands, officials said. The high winds that fanned flames in recent days are expected to pick up again this week. 

The FEMA administrator said she doesn’t have any information on the cause of the wildfires at this time, though she noted that will be investigated. She urged as the winds are expected to return, she wants people to “make sure that they are listening closely to what local officials are saying” to stay out of harm’s way.

When it comes to rebuilding, Criswell said insurance is a “real concern,” citing reports of Californians losing their coverage before the fires. She said insurance is the “number one resource that families have to help with their rebuilding process.”

Criswell noted that FEMA programs are in place to “help jump start the recovery process,” not replace insurance. But she said without insurance, “families are going to have to find other means to be able to rebuild.”

The maximum FEMA grant level is under $44,000. Criswell acknowledged that in many places, including California, the amount isn’t enough to rebuild a home. She pledged that FEMA will work with its partners, including the Small Business Administration, which can provide low-interest loans to families, along with nonprofit and philanthropic partners to help affected families rebuild. 

The FEMA administrator also noted that “it’s not necessarily just where you rebuild, it’s going to be how.” Criswell said that the agency wants to encourage families to rebuild their homes to make them more fire resistant, noting that “that’s really where we need to focus our efforts as we move into the rebuilding phase.”

“We want to be able to work with the governor’s team to rebuild in a way that makes communities more resilient, that keeps insurance companies there,” Criswell said. “We have to be able to work together with the insurance industry to help find ways to keep this really valuable resource in place for so many families.”

As part of building more resilient communities, Criswell also encouraged moving power lines underground, which in addition to reducing the possibility of causing wildfires also allows officials to keep power on during severe weather events.

Criswell didn’t provide an overarching figure for the total cost of the damage in Los Angeles, noting that the fires are still burning and damage is still occurring. But she urged that there are other programs Congress can work through to cover some of the damage, saying there’s “a wide variety of different tools and resources” lawmakers can authorize “to really help this community on this road to recovery.”