00:00The chair now recognizes Representative Kennedy.
00:03Thank you, Mr. Chair. Thank you, Mr. Richardson, for being here.
00:06I wanted to start off with a disaster that's unfolding in the state of Utah right now,
00:10a fire that currently the Deer Creek Fire has burned more than 17,000 acres,
00:16and we have over 580 firefighters and personnel on the line right now in the state of Utah.
00:22There's helicopters, dozers, and engines that are backing up these individuals,
00:25trying to help with that.
00:26But I want to recognize their courage and thank FEMA for stepping in to help early
00:31with a fire management assistant grant.
00:34That's really important to us, and that federal support actually can make all the difference
00:39as we deal with the wildfires, not only in the state of Utah, but throughout the West.
00:43That said, serious challenges remain.
00:45In 2024, Utah expected to spend $12 million on wildfire suppression,
00:51and instead, we spent $28 million by late August.
00:55And FMAG reimbursements from previous fire seasons are still delayed for us,
01:01leaving the state to front the costs.
01:03Thanks to your leadership and the Utah State Legislature,
01:06we're now operating with a unified wildfire suppression fund that supports prevention
01:11and post-fire recovery.
01:13It's a forward-looking state-led model that gives Utah the flexibility to act quickly
01:18and invest wisely.
01:19Utah needs federal partners who help us move faster, not slow us down in these circumstances.
01:25I have a few questions regarding that.
01:27So the first question is, working with the Utah Legislature, we've got this wildfire suppression
01:32fund that is designed to manage all phases before, during, and after the fire.
01:37How is FEMA supporting that kind of state-led model, especially for major incidents like the
01:43Deer Creek Fire and smaller fires like Amelia and Rydraw?
01:47Thank you for your question.
01:49So the way we manage that is not only through FEMA, but also through the FEMA, the regional administrator.
01:57And they work very closely with the states on those issues.
02:01I am very aware, my heart goes out to the people of Nevada of the fires.
02:05I get briefed on that nearly every day, so I see them.
02:08And so that's kind of how we handle that normally at the regional level.
02:13And the regional managers, they'll contact me, we're in close communication, and we work
02:18through any issues that happen.
02:19But that generally happens at the regional level, which is how it should be, because that
02:24is the closest to the state.
02:26Good.
02:26Thank you very much for that.
02:27As to these reimbursements, the assistance grants reimbursements, Utah is still waiting
02:32for FMAG payments from past fire seasons.
02:35What is FEMA doing to speed that up to help these states that have spent a lot of money
02:39to suppress these wildfires often that are on federal lands?
02:43So you're asking me how we're speeding up the FMAG process?
02:45How do we speed up the FMAG process?
02:48So I'm not real familiar with exactly how we do the FMAG.
02:54What I'd like to do is go back to my office and see exactly how it's done, and then we'll
02:58bring to you some recommendations.
03:00Yeah, and anything we can do to help with that, with recommendations on your part or
03:03our part, the reality is this is in the state, but the federal lands are often implicated,
03:09which leads me to my final question.
03:11If I have any time remaining, I'll yield that to my chair.
03:14But the Deer Creek fire currently is crossing county and state lines as well as tribal lands.
03:18And what systems is FEMA using to support real-time coordination as we deal with various
03:23jurisdictions associated with these fires, which don't respect boundaries?
03:27So are you asking me what technology we're using?
03:30Technology or methods that we'll use as these fires cross various jurisdictions, including
03:35state lines, county lines, and tribal lands.
03:38Once again, I'm going to have to get back with my staff, and I'll circle back with you.
03:41Please do.
03:42Thank you very much.
03:42I don't know the exact answer to that.
03:44Mr. Chair, I'll yield time to you if I've got about a minute left, so please.
03:48Chair, thanks, the gentleman.
03:50Mr. Richardson, in previous questioning, it was implied that FEMA is, I think, uncaring.
03:58And many of us on either side of the aisle here have certainly plenty of, I think, justified
04:04criticism of FEMA.
04:05But in regard to the Texas fire or Texas flood and the search and rescue effort, is my understanding
04:12in the briefing last week that the governor requested the Coast Guard, indeed close by,
04:18one unit located in Houston.
04:21Neither unit could get to the site of the flooding and actually do search and rescue or recovery
04:30operations due to weather.
04:32And as a matter of fact, one of the members of the Coast Guard has been highly decorated
04:36for his actions on the ground there.
04:40Can you, look, like I said, we just want to make sure that we level set here and we understand
04:45what happened, what FEMA's role was, what FEMA was prepared for, but what was actually used
04:51by the governor.
04:53If FEMA was stationed on site, but the governor didn't want FEMA there because he wanted to
04:58use the Coast Guard because of a pre-existing relationship or because of capability or location,
05:03that's important to know now.
05:05Can you provide or shed any light on that issue?
05:08Definitely.
05:09And thank you for the question.
05:10So let's back up.
05:11So from the second that I found out about the horrible disaster in Texas, what I was doing
05:19was coordinating, okay, from where I was, I was coordinating to ensure that these assets
05:27were being applied to the disaster.
05:29Now, Texas Task Force One, which is a FEMA paid for and equipped asset, was working also
05:38with the emergency state manager, but they also have a direct relationship with the Coast
05:45Guard, CBP, Public Health, and the Texas National Guard.
05:50So there were other forces on the ground that were either federal forces like Texas Task Force
05:57Earth One, which is a national, and then there was also other DHS assets.
06:01And through Secretary Noem's extraordinary leadership, my coordination, we made sure they
06:06were available to the Emergency Operations Center.
06:09Appreciate the answer.
06:10The time of the gentleman has long expired, and I want to respect everybody on the committee.
06:13The chair now recognizes.
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