Fire Damage Studies To Begin 

Release Date: November 3, 2003
Release Number: 1498-06

» More Information on California Wildfires

Pasadena, CA - As California's disastrous 2003 wildfires diminish, state and federal officials today began to assess the infrastructure damage throughout the southland.

"This is a vital step as we continue the process of recovering from the fires that have destroyed so much in the last few weeks," said Dallas Jones, director of the Governor's Office of Emergency Services (OES).

Teams from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and OES started meetings today with state agencies and local officials in Riverside, Los Angeles and Ventura counties to conduct preliminary damage assessments, which will be the basis for determining how much assistance is needed to repair roads, buildings and other infrastructure damaged and destroyed by the fires.

"Our goal is to meet with all the agencies that need assistance and get it to them as quickly and efficiently as possible," said William Carwile, Federal Coordinating Officer for the disaster recovery effort.

Representatives from FEMA and OES will meet with county and city officials in Los Angeles, San Bernardino, San Diego and Ventura counties Tuesday and Wednesday to assess the impact of the fires on infrastructure in those counties.

FEMA and OES are also attempting to identify eligible private non-profit organizations affected by the fires.

President George W. Bush declared four counties major disaster areas at the request of Gov. Gray Davis on October 27 and added Riverside County to the federal declaration on October 30.

The Governor's Office of Emergency Services coordinates overall state agency response to major disasters in support of local government. The office is responsible for ensuring the state's readiness to respond to and recover from natural, manmade, and war-caused emergencies and for assisting local governments in their emergency preparedness, response, mitigation and recovery efforts.

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 Citizen Corps, the National Flood Insurance Program and the U.S. Fire Administration.

Last Modified: Tuesday, 04-Nov-2003 11:08:43