Los Angeles braces for more strong winds as three wildfires continue to burn

Image source, Reuters

At an earlier press briefing, President Joe Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris and other administration officials discussed the federal government’s response to the fires in California.

“I continue to call on the federal government to do everything possible, everything we can to help California,” Biden said. But there remains a “monumental task” to accomplish, he said, such as cleaning up debris, distributing food and water, sending emergency aid to victims and much more.

“(To) the people of Los Angeles, thank you for standing together and helping each other through unimaginable loss,” Biden said. “I want you to know that we have no higher priority than your safety in Los Angeles.”

Harris, a California native whose Los Angeles home was threatened by the fires, called it a “dangerous and unprecedented crisis” and “truly heartbreaking.”

She called on residents to remain “vigilant” over the coming days as strong winds pose a high risk of fires spreading.

She praised the “acts of courage, heroism, community building, caring for strangers” and “generosity of spirit” that accompanied the disaster, thanking firefighters and other emergency responders for their “sacrifice” in the fight against the flames.