By Pamela Cruz. Pen 360 Press [P360P]
President Joseph Biden announced a $37 million grant to the state of California to support wildfire mitigation efforts as part of a new Federal Emergency Management Agency program.
The announcement came after President Biden convened a meeting with Western state governors, Cabinet and agency officials, and energy sector partners to discuss the pressing need to work together to strengthen prevention, preparedness, and response efforts for this wildfire season, which is on track to surpass the previous one.
At the meeting, the president stressed the importance of making much-needed investments to prepare the country and doing everything possible to address the growing and severe threat of wildfires to save lives.
In the virtual meetingBiden highlighted the number of actions his Administration is taking to respond to this year's wildfires, including making substantial investments in firefighting personnel, increasing federal firefighter pay and access to retention incentives, and expanding the hiring of temporary firefighters to ensure a more effective response during this year's fire season.
Share that the Administration is enhancing federal wildfire response capabilities, including through the use of new technologies, and helping vulnerable communities mitigate the impact of wildfires through new funding.
Last month, Biden announced that the Administration will double funding for the program to $1 billion for the first year to invest in pre-disaster mitigation and resilience resources and help strengthen the ability of communities, families and businesses to withstand extreme weather events and other disasters.
Vice President Kamala Harris, for her part, highlighted investments in resilience for protection against forest fires and extreme weather.
Both officials asked the governors what additional support and resources they need and what immediate actions the federal government can take to protect communities from wildfires, help them deal with drought conditions and improve emergency preparedness.
In that regard, the governors, who represent a variety of states across the West, spoke about the importance of working closely together and in coordination to prevent wildfires from occurring and ensure that response efforts are as efficient and effective as possible.
Similarly, the president and his national security adviser, Liz Sherwood-Randall, asked the three CEOs of the public service companies to