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California’s wildfires could be the costliest disaster in US history, the state’s governor said, as forecasts of high winds raised fears the wildfires could spread further.
NBC News’ Gavin Newsom told NBC News on Sunday that the fire, which has burned at least 22,000 acres, will be the worst the country has ever seen. its scale and scope”.
He added that there could be “many more” deaths. Los Angeles officials said Saturday night the death toll reached 16.
Santa Ana winds, which fueled the fires, have prompted evacuation orders for tens of thousands of residents, expected to pick up on Sunday. As of late Saturday, the fire was threatening homes in the Mandeville Canyon and Brentwood neighborhoods, though officials said they were making progress there in containing its progress.
The National Weather Service has forecast gusts of 50 to 70 mph.
Newsom, a Democrat, responded to President-elect Donald Trump’s attacks, accusing the governor of depleting water supplies to protect endangered species and refusing to sign a “water restoration declaration.” Allowed millions of gallons of water. . . to flow into many parts of California every day,” Newsom’s office said. There was no such statement.
Trump, who has a long-standing feud with Newsom and refers to him as “Newsom,” called for the Californian to be impeached for “gross incompetence.”
“The reservoirs are full, the state reservoirs here in Southern California,” Newsome said.
“I don’t think that misinformation and misinformation is going to help or benefit any of us,” he added. “We’re going to spend another month reacting to Donald Trump’s insults. I know them very well. Every elected official they disagree with knows them well.
Newsom said he has invited the president-elect to visit the affected areas but has yet to hear back from Trump’s transition team.
The head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency said on Sunday that troops would be sent to Los Angeles to help control the blaze.
Dean Criswell told ABC’s This Week program: “There are active duty military personnel who are preparing to deploy the command, ready to go in and continue the firefighting effort.” Speaking on CNN, she warned that strong winds expected in the coming days could further spread the fire.
Official estimates of the cost of the damage have not yet been released, but AccuWeather analysts last week calculated economic losses at between $135 billion and $150 billion — less than the $250 billion associated with Hurricane Helene last year.
President Biden pledged last Thursday that the US government would pay “100 percent of all costs” of the disaster and ask Congress for additional funding.
Trump, who threatened to withhold emergency funding from California on the campaign trail last year, has so far been silent on whether he would provide similar aid. On Sunday, he renewed his attack on the state authorities.
“Incompetent police don’t know how to put out[fires],” he wrote. “There is death everywhere. This is one of the worst disasters in our country’s history. They can’t put out the fire. What’s wrong with them?”
