Rep. Buck McKeon (R-Calif.) woke up at 2:30 on Tuesday morning to see the hillside behind his house glowing with fire and flames shooting as high as 50 feet in the air. He then watched as the fire ran to the top of the ridge of the hill and raced back down the other side.
McKeon, who returned to Washington on Tuesday afternoon, said in a phone interview that 25 structures had been destroyed and maybe 15,000 people evacuated from his district.
According to Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger reported late Tuesday that 750 homes had been totally destroyed, 68,000 homes were in danger, and 250,000 acres of land had been devastated by the fire, much of it wilderness. In addition, 365,000 people have been evacuated from their homes.
President Bush declared a state of emergency in California and sent Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff and Federal Emergency Management Agency Administrator David Paulison to San Diego on Tuesday.
Pelosi said that Congress could have to consider sending more aid to California.
“So far, [state officials] have been able to avail themselves of whatever is available from the federal government. We may have to expand on that as the fires continue to rage,” she said Tuesday on the House floor.
Local emergency officials in San Diego briefed lawmakers from the area on Tuesday evening at the emergency response center there.
The California congressional delegation is drafting a resolution expressing Congress’s support for the first responders and pledging to make resources available to help stop the fires, congressional officials said.
Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) asked the Bush administration to “do everything within [its] power to immediately release all resources and provide all possible assistance to those fighting to protect lives and property…Additional ground and air resources are desperately needed.”
Rep. Duncan Hunter (R-Calif.), a presidential candidate, remained in California, where he successfully cajoled the National Guard to send six C-130 jets from North Carolina, Wyoming and Colorado to help drop flame retardant to stop the fires from spreading. California’s C-130s were not equipped to fight fires.
“We could use more – more of everything,” McKeon said.
The fires have not spared anyone, including lawmakers.
“The magnitude of these fires are unmatched by anything I have ever seen in my lifetime,” Rep. Elton Gallegly (R-Calif.) said, adding that he had never seen the Santa Ana winds, which carry hot desert air, blow as hard. Some gusts clocked in at 101 miles per hour, and the winds carry embers, which spark new fires.
“Everything is covered in ash. The smell of smoke is overwhelming,” said Gallegly, whose home is ready to be evacuated quickly. “There is a lot of wind damage, too.”
Other lawmakers were trying to protect their aides and constituents by keeping their offices open later and trying to provide as much updated information as possible on their websites.
Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.), who flew to Washington on Sunday from San Diego, could see the fire rage from both sides of the plane, but he did not expect either fire to spiral out of control.
Meanwhile, Rep. Brian Bilbray (R-Calif.) was forced to shutter temporarily his district office after it lost power on Monday. Issa and Bilbray returned to California Tuesday afternoon.
Asked what Congress could do in Southern California, Issa said Congress has two tools, money and regulation, before adding that, “We can’t make it rain.
“It’s hot, it’s dry and people had eucalyptus near their homes,” Issa said, referring to the combustible plant.
Democratic Rep. Susan Davis, who represents San Diego and was trying to get home as quickly as possible, was monitoring the 10,000 people who had been evacuated to Qualcomm Stadium, a mere eight minutes from her home.
Many lawmakers said the smoke and ash resulted in poor air quality from San Diego to as far north as Venice, Calif., where Rep. Jane Harman (D) could see smoke on Sunday from the massive fires raging across southern California. She said the fronds from the palm trees have blown all over the streets.
For now, the fires remain a state and local concern with the federal government playing a coordinating role.
“The most important thing Congress can do is to make sure that local officials are not making decisions based on financial resources, but keeping focus and attention on saving lives,” said Mark Merritt, president of James Lee Witt Associates and a former FEMA official.
Congress could choose to pass an emergency appropriations bill to pay for damages that FEMA programs would not cover, but for now California has in place a “well-greased system when fighting wildfires,” Merritt said.
Officials said Tuesday the winds and high temperatures are expected to continue. But when the fires do stop, lawmakers likely will debate the cause of the fire.
“One reason why we have the fires in California is global warming,” Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) told reporters Tuesday, stressing the need to pass the Democrats’ comprehensive energy package.
Moments later, when asked by a reporter if he really believed global warming caused the fires, he appeared to back away from his comments, saying there are many factors that contributed to the disaster.
Susan Crabtree contributed to this report. |
