Trump visits fire areas, promises help

On Friday, Jan. 23, President Donald Trump visited both western North Carolina, which Hurricane Helene ravaged in September, and the Pacific Palisades area in Los Angeles, which fire devastated this month.

The California visit, while from a helicopter, was positive for Trump. Governor Gavin Newsom met the President at the airport.

“We’re going to need your support. We’ll need your help. You were there for us during COVID. I don’t forget that and I have all the expectations that we’ll be able to work together to get this speedy recovery,” he shared with the President.

After a brief private discussion, walking to the helicopter, Trump began his tour of the Palisades area. On returning, Trump acknowledged that seeing the actual razed area changed his perception of the Palisades Fire’s destruction of homes.

“I don’t think you can realize how rough it is, how devastating it is until you see it,” he said at the press conference following the site visit. “It’s devastation, it’s incredible. It’s really an incineration.”

He also vowed to provide Federal funding to help California recover. “We’re going to do a good job in California,” he told the press in North Carolina prior to leaving for California. “That is a disaster like — I don’t know if we’ve ever seen anything like it, frankly. They say ‘the biggest in the history of California.’ I think — has anything bigger than that happened in the whole country ever?”

Both in North Carolina and California, Trump expressed exasperation with the Federal Emergency Management Agency. He is sufficiently troubled, that he plans to sign an Executive Order to “. . . begin the process of fundamentally reforming or overhauling FEMA.”

Continuing this thought, he added, “. . . maybe getting rid of FEMA. Frankly I think FEMA is not good.”

He does not plan to withhold Federal aid to areas damaged from natural disasters, but he is concerned about the Agency’s performance.

“Riverside County has a strong partnership with state and federal partners,” Bruce Barton, director of Riverside County’s Emergency Management Department, said in an email. “We also continue to advocate for actions that will make more funding and resources available at the local level to help speed our recovery from disasters.”

Trump stressed that state and local officials could better handle the recovery steps than federal staff who are unfamiliar with the area.

“When you have a problem like this, whether you have a Republican or Democratic governor, you want to use your state to fix it and not waste time calling FEMA,” he said. “They don’t know the area.”

“We’re looking at the whole concept of FEMA. I like, frankly, the concept: When North Carolina gets hit, the governor takes care of it. When Florida gets hit, the governor takes care of it, meaning the state takes care of it,” he commented. “I’d like to see the states take care of disasters. Let the state take care of the tornadoes and the hurricanes and all of the other things that happen. And I think you’re going to find it a lot less expensive.”

“I don’t think many people understand how FEMA works and the coordination they provide involving numerous agencies. Over the last year, there have been a number of false rumors circulating about how much funds FEMA had available for victims. That has undermined confidence in FEMA,” said Riverside County Supervisor Chuck Washington (3^(rd) District). “In the end, if funds come directly to [Riverside County] (through the State), I know we can manage those resources to serve our communities in need.”

Dealing with FEMA’s future will be on the President’s agenda over the next couple of weeks, he concluded.

But he did affirm he will ask Congress for aid to California to repair the fire destruction.

However, he did mention two conditions –voter IDs and water releases — that he hopes to achieve from California.

“I want to see two things in Los Angeles: voter ID, so that the people have a chance to vote, and I want to see the water be released and come down into Los Angeles and throughout the state,” he stated. “Those are the two things. After that, I will be the greatest president that California have ever — has ever seen.”

Many water experts do disagree that the State’s water management programs contributed to the devastating Los Angeles infernos.

“Conflating the health of the Bay-Delta in northern California with the catastrophic wildfires in Los Angeles is not only factually inaccurate, it’s dangerous as it does nothing to address the underlying causes of the wildfire crisis – including climate change,” said Ashley Overhouse, Water Policy Advisor at the Defenders of Wildlife. “Today’s announcement by the new administration demonstrates both a severe misunderstanding of water management and a blatant disregard for the needs of imperiled wildlife.”

At the California press conference, Trump emphasized the need to start rebuilding the razed areas as soon as possible. He promised to waive federal permit conditions for rebuilding and urged Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass to do the same. She promised to expedite permits as quickly as possible and would also declare a local emergency.

As he ended the press conference, Trump promised, “I’m going to give you everything you want. I’ll give you more than any President would give you.”