>>>
>>> WE
>>> WE INTERRUPT PROGRAMMING FOR BREAKING NEWS.
THANKS FOR JOINING US, GOVERNOR
INSLEE'S FIRST NEWS CONFERENCE
IN ABOUT TWO WEEKS, IS EXPECTED
TO ADDRESS THE GROWING
WILDFIRES IN OUR STATE, HE JUST
GOT THERE, LET'S LISTEN IN.
>> GOOD AFTERNOON, AS FOLKS
KNOW, WE ARE CURRENTLY BATTLING
A WILDFIRE CRISIS IN THE STATE
OF WASHINGTON.
OF WASHINGTON. AN ESTIMATED 330,000 ACRES OF
OUR STATE BURNED IN JUST 24
HOURS.
HOURS.
HOURS. MORE ACRES BURNED YESTERDAY THEN
IN 12 OF THE LAST ENTIRE FIRE
SEASONS IN THE STATE OF
WASHINGTON.
WASHINGTON. THIS IS AN UNPRECEDENTED AND
HEARTBREAKING EVENT.
HEARTBREAKING EVENT. WE KNOW THAT WE HAVE BEEN WELL
PREPARED FOR FIRES, WE THOUGHT
THEM BEFORE AND WE KNOW HOW TO
DO IT, BUT THESE CONDITIONS
WERE UNPRECEDENTED, THEY LED TO
AN EXPLOSIVE GROWTH AS A RESULT
OF THE HOT AND WINDY AND VERY
LOW HUMIDITY CONDITIONS. THEY
WERE SO EXTRAORDINARY YESTERDAY
IN THE STATE OF WASHINGTON.
THE DEVASTATION IS ALL OVER OUR
STATE FROM ADVANTAGE TO SHOW
LAND, TO CALDWELL, GRAHAM, TWO
SPOKANE.
SPOKANE.
SPOKANE. WE KNOW WE LOST PERHAPS 80% IN
MALDEN AND WHITMAN COUNTY.
PERHAPS 80% HAS BEEN BURNED OUT
AND TOTALLY DESTROYED.
I JUST SPOKE TO THE MAYOR AND
THEY SAID IT LOOKED LIKE A BOMB
HAD GONE OUT, THE LUSTER POST
OFFICE, FIRE STATION, CITY
HALL, AND LIBRARY AND MOST OF
THEIR HOMES.
THEIR HOMES. WE WANT THE FOLKS IN MALDEN TO
KNOW THAT WE STAND WITH YOU.
I WILL PROBABLY BE THERE
THURSDAY.
THURSDAY.
THURSDAY. AND WE ARE LOOKING FOR EVERY
POSSIBLE HELP WE CAN RENDER AS
QUICKLY AS WE CAN TO THE
TRAUMATIZED PEOPLE OF THAT
COMMUNITY.
COMMUNITY. MAYOR FARRELL WAS APPRECIATIVE
OF THE WHITMAN COUNTY SHERIFF'S
DEPARTMENT WHO APPEARED TO HAVE
BEEN, IT LOOKS LIKE WE HAVE NOT
LOST LIFE, THAT IS NOT A
CERTAINTY AT THIS MOMENT AND
SHE CREDITED THE SHERIFF
DEPARTMENT AND OTHER FOLKS ON A
QUICK BASIS, THAT THEY GOT
PEOPLE TO TAKE SHELTER FROM THE
RAPIDLY ASSAULTIVE FLAMES THAT
HIT MALDEN.
HIT MALDEN. WE WILL HAVE MORE TO SAY ABOUT
THAT IN THE UPCOMING DAYS AND
HOURS.
HOURS.
HOURS. THE LIST OF THE FIRES IS LONG.
IN NORTHEAST WASHINGTON THEY
HAVE THE COLD SPRINGS, PEARL
HILL AND APPLE ACRES.
I AM PLEASED THAT AN OLD
ACQUAINTANCE OF MINE HOWARD
BURNETT, IT APPEARS THAT HIS
HOME IS OKAY.
WHITMAN AND SPOKESMAN COUNTY
WITH THE MANNING FIRE AND THE
ATHENS COUNTY FIRE TRUDY AND MY
OLD HOME ARE JUST OUTSIDE THE
AG EVACUATION LINE OF THE FIRE.
THE WHOLE STATE OF WASHINGTON
IS CONNECTED TO THESE FIRES
RIGHT NOW.
RIGHT NOW. THERE ARE ABOUT 100,000 PEOPLE
ACROSS THE STATE WITHOUT POWER
RIGHT NOW.
RIGHT NOW. AND BECAUSE OF FIRES, ROAD
CLOSURES, CREWS HAVE HAD A HARD
TIME GETTING THE POWER BACK UP.
WE WANT TO THANK THOSE MEMBERS
WHO ARE WORKING DAY AND NIGHT
TO RESTORE THIS POWER.
DIFFICULT SITUATIONS.
DIFFICULT SITUATIONS. FAMILIES HAVE LOST THEIR HOMES,
YOU KNOW HOW THAT IS SO
DRAMATIC.
DRAMATIC.
DRAMATIC. WE INTEND TO GIVE THEM ALL THE
HELP WE CAN TO SEE THEM THROUGH
THESE TROUBLED DAYS.
THE EVACUATIONS ARE WIDESPREAD
IN EASTERN WASHINGTON. IF YOU
ARE BEING EVACUATED, AND YOU
NEED HELP FINDING SHELTER, THE
NUMBER TO CALL IS THAT THE RED
CROSS IS DOING TREMENDOUS WORK
FOR THESE COMMUNITIES, THEY ARE
AT 509-670-5331.
AT 509-670-5331. IN WESTERN WASHINGTON, MORE
THAN TWO DOZEN FIRES ARE
BURNING WITH HUNDREDS OF PEOPLE
EVACUATED IN GRAHAM, SUMNER AND
BONNEY LAKE.
BONNEY LAKE. IT GOES WITHOUT SAYING BUT I DO
WANT TO ASK FOLKS, WHATEVER
INFORMATION YOU'VE BEEN GIVEN
BY EMERGENCY AUTHORITIES FOR
EVACUATIONS OR POTENTIALLY BACK
RELATIONS, PLEASE HEED THEM.
THESE FIRES ARE EXTRAORDINARY.
THEY ARE DOING THINGS WE'VE
NEVER SEEN BEFORE, AS TO HOW
FAST THEY SPREAD.
SO, I HOPE YOU WILL GIVE
PRIORITY TO YOUR LIFE AND LOVED
ONES AND FOLLOW THESE
EVACUATION ORDERS.
EVACUATION ORDERS. WE ALSO KNOW THAT OUR AIR
QUALITY IS PRESENTING PROBLEMS
TO PEOPLE.
TO PEOPLE. WE HOPE THAT YOU CARE FOR
YOURSELF PARTICULARLY THOSE WHO
HAVE RESPIRATORY ISSUES, WE ARE
VERY CONCERNED ABOUT THAT, FOR
OLDER ADULTS AND OF THOSE WITH
UNDERLYING HEALTH CONDITIONS.
I SPOKE EARLIER TODAY WITH BILL
TENDS FILLED THE WHITMAN COUNTY
EMERGENCY MANAGER WHO'S BEEN UP
FOR ABOUT 30 HOURS STRAIGHT
LIKE SO MANY EMERGENCY
PERSONNEL HAVE BEEN.
I WANT TO THANK HIM AND ALL THE
EMERGENCY WORKERS.
EMERGENCY WORKERS. WE OWE THEM SO MUCH GRATITUDE
FOR THE WORK THEY ARE DOING IN
THESE HOT AND DANGEROUS
CONDITIONS.
CONDITIONS. WE EXPECT THE HOT WEATHER WILL
CONTINUE FOR DAYS TO COME.
AND, WE THINK ALMOST ALL OF
THESE FIRES WERE HUMAN CAUSED
IN SOME DIMENSION.
IF YOU CAN AVOID BEING OUTSIDE
FOR ANYTHING THAT WOULD EVEN
CAUSE A SPARK, I HOPE PEOPLE
CAN AVOID THOSE CONDITIONS,
IT'S NOT JUST FIRES, IT'S
LITERALLY SPARKS THAT CAN CAUSE
THESE FIRES IN THESE CONDITIONS
BETTER THIS DRIVE.
THIS IS A NEW REALITY WE ARE
LIVING IN WITH THE CHANGE IN
CLIMATE AND I HOPE ALL THIS CAN
PITCH IN SO WE CAN HAVE LESS
DEMAND ON THESE EMERGENCY
PERSONNEL.
PERSONNEL. SO, TODAY I'M TAKING SOME
ACTION THAT I WANT TO TALK
ABOUT.
ABOUT.
ABOUT. WITH SO MANY INDIVIDUALS AND
COMMUNITIES ACROSS THE STATE IN
NEED OF ASSISTANCE I HAVE
INSTRUCTED THE EMERGENCY
MANAGEMENT ASSOCIATION TO
DETERMINE WHAT EMERGENCY
PROCLAMATIONS I WILL NEED TO
MAKE TO EXPEDITE ANY POSSIBLE
CASH AND FOOD ASSISTANCE TO
THOSE IN NEED.
THEY ARE WORKING ON THOSE AS WE
SPEAK.
SPEAK.
SPEAK. THIS FIRE HAS DEVASTATED MANY
OF OUR COMMUNITIES. LIKE IN
MALDEN, THE ENTIRE PUBLIC
INFRASTRUCTURE HAS BEEN
DESTROYED.
DESTROYED. SO WE ARE FOCUSING OUR EFFORTS
AND WE ARE STANDING UP THOSE
VERY BASIC COMMUNITY SERVICES
OF COMMUNICATIONS AND WATER AND
POLICE AND FIRE PROTECTION, AND
I HAD GOOD DISCUSSIONS ABOUT
THAT WITH THE MAYOR.
WE ARE USING EVERY RESOURCE WE
HAVE AVAILABLE TO US.
FROM THE AIR AND THE GROUND.
AND WE WILL LOOK FOR WHENEVER
ACTIONS AND RESOURCES WE CAN
BRING TO BEAR ON THIS.
EARLIER THIS YEAR WE HAD TEAMS
ELSEWHERE ACROSS THE NATION TO
HELP OTHER STATES, THOSE TEAMS
RETURNED HOME AND WE ARE
GETTING SUPPORT FROM OTHER
STATES AS WELL, WHEN IT'S
APPROPRIATE.
APPROPRIATE. CURRENTLY THE STATE IS USING
AVIATION AND GROUND ASSETS TO
FIGHT THE FIRES.
ABOUT A DOZEN FIREFIGHTERS WERE
BROUGHT TO BEAR, ABOUT A DOZEN
PLANES, MORE THAN 50 ENGINES
AND HAND CREWS WORKING TO
CONTAIN THE FLAMES.
THE COMMISSIONER WILL HAVE MORE
TO SAY ABOUT THAT IN A MOMENT.
WE ALSO HAVE MULTIPLE UTILITIES
AND CELLULAR COMPANIES THAT ARE
HELPING TO RESTORE SERVICE.
WE KNOW THEY ARE PIVOTAL.
SO TODAY WE ARE JOINED WITH
COMMISSIONER HILARY FRANZ