Biden Explains Reasons for Los Angeles Wildfires and California Water Shortage

On January 9, US President Biden stated that the intentional power outages in the Los Angeles area to prevent more wildfires had inadvertently caused water pump failures, contributing to the water resource shortage. According to ABC News, Biden convened White House senior officials and administration officials on Thursday to brief them on the federal government’s response to the wildfires. Officials highlighted that the issue stemmed from the power disruptions preventing water flow, rather than a shortage of water in the region.

Biden explained that, “I want to make it clear that from my conversations with the governor (of California), I understand there were concerns about water shortages. But the fact is, utility companies, out of concerns that power lines could be knocked down and lead to more wildfires, made the reasonable decision to cut off power. However, this also cut off the operation of water pumps, leading to a shortage of water in fire hydrants.” “Therefore, the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE) is bringing in generators to get these water pumps operational again, ensuring that fire hydrants are no longer lacking water. I am also mobilizing all possible federal resources to Southern California,” Biden added.

According to a White House briefing, Biden also approved a major disaster declaration for California, allowing wildfire victims to “immediately access funds and resources to initiate their recovery plans.” Additionally, Biden announced that the federal government would cover all costs for protecting lives and properties in Southern California in the next six months.

Former US President Trump criticized the water shortage issue on his social media platform Truth Social. Earlier on Thursday, he stated that Governor Newsom should “immediately open the water pipelines to Northern California, letting water flow into his parched, thirsty, and burning state, rather than letting it flow to the Pacific Ocean.” During Trump’s first term, the government signed a memorandum to draw millions of gallons of water from the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta and distribute it to Central Valley and Southern California farmers. This practice was strongly condemned by Governor Newsom at the time, citing environmental concerns.

However, with the introduction of new federal and state regulations, these restrictions on water extraction from the Delta were implemented to protect the endangered Delta smelt. Trump believes that this fish protection policy hinders the flow of water to drought-prone areas in California, negatively impacting the state’s water resources and firefighting efforts. He claims that if water resources were not restricted, it could help reduce the occurrence of wildfires.

However, the California Governor’s Press Office responded, dismissing Trump’s claims as “pure fiction.” In a statement on social platform X, Newsom’s office countered Trump’s assertion that he failed to sign the “water resource recovery declaration” and stated that California’s water supply situation is “quite stable.” “There is no such document as a ‘water resource recovery declaration’—this is entirely fictional,” the statement read. “The Governor is fully committed to protecting the state’s residents rather than playing political games, and he is dedicated to ensuring that firefighting personnel have the necessary resources.”

The Palisades Fire between Santa Monica and Malibu on the western side of Los Angeles and the Eaton Fire near Pasadena in the east have become the most destructive wildfires in Los Angeles history. The death toll from the fires has risen to 10 people. According to preliminary estimates by the private meteorological forecasting company AccuWeather, the economic losses from the wildfires are expected to exceed $150 billion, forcing over 180,000 people to leave their homes.