Federal Agency Coordination Group Tasked By President Bush To Aid In California Wildfire Recovery Efforts Releases Report
Release Date: February 27, 2004
Release Number: HQ-04-025
WASHINGTON, D.C. – The California Fires Coordination Group (CFCG), formed by President Bush immediately following the outbreak of the California wildfires that scorched over 750,000 acres and destroyed over 3,600 homes in October of 2003, today released its report on the recovery efforts from these devastating wildfires that were among the largest fire incidents in American history. The interagency coordination group, comprised of top government officials tasked with coordinating the federal government’s portion of the recovery operation, was chaired by Michael D. Brown, Undersecretary of Homeland Security for Emergency Preparedness and Response.
With the scope and magnitude of the fires, as well as the extensive acreage of federal lands involved, a unique level of coordination was necessary to expedite aid to the affected communities.
The CFCG report was presented to Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge prior to posting on www.fema.gov/pdf/library/draft_cfcg_report_0204.pdf.
“President Bush, Secretary Ridge, and I share the same vision to increase coordination among federal, state, and local emergency managers in the age of Homeland Security,” said Brown. “The success of the joint coordination of recovery operations to date in Southern California, from the wildfires, is directly due to the formation of this group to address post-fire risks and demonstrates that these challenges can be met and surmounted.”
The CFCG report discusses the two-tiered CFCG and the joint Disaster Field Office (DFO)/Multi-Agency Support Group (MASG) structure, a team of federal, state, local governmental and private organizations, who collectively provided aid to affected communities. This aid was made available efficiently and expeditiously by promoting continuous dialogue among key stakeholders, allowing them to coordinate over $481 million in complementary federal assistance programs, while minimizing duplication efforts.
The CFCG helped coordinate activities among those agencies involved, which allowed for greater efficiency and use of resources. The meetings allowed the federal government to determine the extent of the damage from the wildfires so we could effectively coordinate our resources in order to assist the residents of California in their recovery. FEMA worked with their federal partners at the Small Business Administration to ensure victims were receiving federal grants or loans for home repairs needed as a result of this disaster.
The rapid progress of response and recovery to date are a natural extension of the Department of Homeland Security’s Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) time-honored all-hazards approach to incident management. The implementation of Homeland Security, FEMA’s assistance programs and the coordination of federal response and recovery operations can be scaled to meet the challenges of both natural and man-made disasters.
On March 1, 2003, FEMA became part of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. FEMA's continuing mission within the new department is to lead the effort to prepare the nation for all hazards and effectively manage federal response and recovery efforts following any national incident. FEMA also initiates proactive mitigation activities, trains first responders, and manages the National Flood Insurance Program and the U.S. Fire Administration.
Last Modified: Friday, 27-Feb-2004 13:26:46