Full Press Conference: Officials give update on Spokane Area Fires (2 p.m.)

[0:00] Thanks everybody for joining us. Mayor Lisa Brown here. We're here today to discuss [0:08] really the worst natural disaster our region has faced, the Spokane complex of fires. You are going [0:15] to hear after me from Governor Bob Ferguson, Senator Maria Cantwell, Congressman Michael [0:25] Baumgardner, Commissioner of Public Lands Dave Updegrove, our General of the Washington National [0:33] Guard, General Welsh, Commissioner Josh Kearns of the county. It's Chris. Commissioner Jordan. [0:43] Oh, Jordan? Yes. Oh, Avista CEO Heather Rosentrader. I just want to say that hundreds of homes and [0:59] structures have been lost. We are still assessing the potential for lives to be lost. So to the people [1:09] who are suffering right now in our region from either loss or uncertainty, everyone here, our [1:17] hearts go out to you. We are here for you for the long term. To the first responders, some of you are [1:25] on 24, 30 hours without sleep and are working relentlessly. That's fire and law enforcement. [1:32] We are so grateful for you, for those first responders coming from jurisdictions near and far, [1:40] pulling together mutual aid as you always do. And now you're doing it for us. And we so appreciate it. [1:47] To my fellow elected officials, city, county, state, federal, you have also been amazing in pulling [1:58] together in communication and cooperation. I want the people of Eastern Washington to know that the [2:06] geographic and political boundaries that separate us are invisible today. We are pulling together. [2:17] We're here for you. And to the people of Spokane and Eastern Washington, the state of Washington, [2:24] and those around the country who have connections and care about us. Thank you so much. You're caring, [2:31] you're generous. We pull together here when things are tough. And we're doing that. Although the fires [2:40] are not out yet, the care and the recovery began yesterday, continues today, and will go on as long [2:50] as it needs to go, we will get through this. I'd now like to invite Governor Bob Ferguson. [3:02] Thank you, Mayor. And I want to start by thanking you for your really strong leadership during this [3:06] really challenging time. So thank you so much. And, you know, I'll just start by saying to, you know, [3:11] there are just so many Washingtonians who have literally lost everything in a very, very short [3:17] period of time. Just in a matter of hours, their lives changed in deeply dramatic and fundamental [3:24] ways. And so it's difficult to find words when folks have experienced a loss like that. But we want [3:32] all those individuals to know that we are all here for the long haul. We have a lot of crises right in [3:37] front of us that we're working through. But we know that this is going to be a long-term challenge for [3:41] many, many individuals. And we're here for the long haul. I also want those folks to know that [3:46] there is very strong cooperation through all levels of government, many different sectors, [3:52] to work through this together. All of us and many others have very productive conversations already, [3:55] starting with yesterday afternoon. So I want folks to know that is happening. And also to the first [4:01] responders who, just speaking as Governor, it's, you know, it's inspiring to me to see folks who, [4:07] you know, take on an extraordinarily challenging situation like this and put their lives on line to [4:13] protect individuals' lives and property and loved ones. So we're deeply, deeply grateful [4:18] to all of you. I'll just make a few points about a few items that the state is focused on. I did just [4:25] about half an hour or so ago have a conversation with President Trump and Secretary Mullen. The President [4:33] was very gracious, as was Secretary Mullen, who I spoke with two times earlier in the day today. [4:39] I spoke to the President about what's going on and spoke in pretty clear fashion about how dire [4:47] the situation is. He understands that. He knew that going into the call. He expressed his support for what [4:54] the people are going through out here. And I deeply appreciate him taking time from his obviously busy [5:01] schedule to hear about what's happening from folks on the ground and to offer their support. [5:07] And to Secretary Mullen as well. We also appreciate that we had the historical floods not too long ago [5:12] in the state that we received emergency support in the short term as well as long-term FEMA support. [5:20] So we have strong relationships with the federal government from that experience and with FEMA. [5:25] As for FEMA, just to be clear, when we make requests for federal assistance from FEMA, [5:29] I'm going to oversimplify this a little bit, but there are essentially two kinds of requests. [5:34] Short-term emergency response, for example, search and rescue, clearing debris. We just got off a call, [5:41] many of the folks here were there for a call that I had with FEMA's Region 10 administrator [5:48] to make that request for specific items needed in the very short term. So that request has gone in, [5:55] and we anticipate that that will be granted much in the same way it was for the flood. We have a good [5:59] relationship with FEMA and had a very productive call, and we appreciate FEMA on extremely short [6:03] notice, taking the time to work with us, and we also appreciate all of our local partners who we [6:08] depend on to get the information of what the needs are on the ground. We had that meeting earlier today [6:13] and communicate that to FEMA, and so we do anticipate that being granted in the near future. The second [6:19] piece from FEMA is the more long-term relief. That takes more time. Obviously, we've already begun our work on [6:24] that, but just want to separate out those two things. The request has gone in for that short-term [6:28] what we call emergency assistance from the administration, but obviously, simultaneously, [6:33] we're going to get to work on that long-term assistance as well. Maybe just the last thing I'll say [6:38] is, you know, I lived in Spokane for a time after I finished law school. I know this community well. [6:44] My son's about to go to Gonzaga, so we know this community well. My daughter was playing in a softball [6:49] tournament at Dwight Merkle Ball Fields about six weeks ago. She played there last year. When I come [6:54] to Spokane, which is frequently, I don't stay in a hotel. I stay at a friend's place, which is a house [6:59] that had to be evacuated. I don't know how that house is doing, but we stay at a location that is [7:03] extremely close to where I know homes were destroyed. So I'm very, very familiar with the [7:07] communities that are impacted. I stay there on a regular basis. I walk those neighborhoods. I know it [7:12] well. My daughter plays on the ball fields. I have an appreciation for the impact at that very, [7:18] very local level and how devastating that is for so many individuals. So again, we're in for the [7:23] long haul. Deeply appreciate the strong partnership. And one of those key partners, of course, has been [7:28] Senator Cantwell, who's with us today. And I'll turn it over to Senator Cantwell now. [7:34] Well, thank you, Governor. Spokane and the state of Washington has faced a historic weather event. [7:40] And that historic weather event has caused probably one of the biggest damages that we've seen [7:46] in the Spokane area in the history of our state. But it also has been met with a historic response [7:54] by our first responders. And I want to thank them, especially the fire chief, Tom Williams, [8:01] the police chief, Kevin Hall, and Sheriff Knowles. Thank you for the first responders and everything [8:08] that you've done to respond to this fire. The mayor called me last night about 9 30 and said, [8:21] we need help. And she wanted to make sure that everybody was alerted at the federal level. [8:26] The governor was already on it. And so I want to thank Governor Ferguson and Mayor Brown for their [8:31] great leadership in responding so quickly to make sure that every resource would be available for the [8:37] state of Washington. General Welsh, it's great to be with you and all the work that you've done with [8:44] the National Guard to be part of that first responders unit. And with my colleague, Congressman Baumgartner, [8:50] who has created a partnership here to make sure that our voice is one and united when it comes [8:56] to the additional federal resources that we need at this event. We now know that there are thousands [9:02] of Washingtonians in Spokane area that had to be evacuated. We know there are hundreds of homes that [9:08] have been destroyed. We know that we need continued help and support from everybody from weather forecasters [9:15] to people just helping families know what's going to happen next. And so we just asked Washingtonians [9:22] who we say our greatest empathy to you and your families who've been displaced. There are some up [9:28] here with us who have been evacuated. There are some that have lost their homes. So we are with you in [9:36] this situation. And we're going to do everything we can to get the federal resources to help you. [9:42] I talked to the U.S. Chief Forester, Chief Schultz, who basically said this is the most risked and [9:50] resourced fire in the United States today. It is the top fire in our nation. That means they are going [9:57] to give us the resources that we need here on the ground. They are going to work with us in Washington [10:04] and Oregon and my sense is Idaho because of what's happening there to make sure that our region is [10:10] prioritized. So Chief Schultz, we appreciate that and you'll certainly be hearing from us [10:15] on the list of things that we want to continue to see. But I ask our fellow Washingtonians to help this [10:22] region to be as patient as you can to listen to what the first responders are saying because we're [10:28] not out of danger yet. The next couple of days will be challenging, but we are going to do everything we [10:34] can to make sure the resources are here and continue to make sure that this issue gets our nation's [10:40] attention. Thank you. Well, thank you, everyone. Indeed, this is a devastating fire. We know that [10:52] hundreds, if not thousands, are in a very sad and scary place right now. I want to echo the comments, [11:02] thanking our first responders for what you're doing for our community. Indeed, this is an unprecedented [11:09] catastrophe for the Spokane area, but I think we're going to see unprecedented collaboration in [11:16] responding to this fire. I want to thank Mayor Brown, Senator Cantwell, Governor Ferguson, and [11:25] everyone here working on this issue. This is not Republicans and Democrats they're seeing before [11:30] you. This is concerned elected officials. They're going to do what's right for this community. I did [11:37] speak to Homeland Security Secretary Mark Wayne Mullen earlier today. We have a good personal rapport, [11:47] and I think he is someone that knows Spokane. He spent some time here in Spokane, [11:53] and I know he will be supporting us in this. We have, as you said from the governor, he has, [12:02] after receiving the needed information from the partners behind us, he has made the initial request. [12:10] We appreciate that very much, and I am optimistic, very optimistic, that there will be additional support [12:20] from FEMA. It's certainly a good precedent for our state that we were successful in that process [12:27] with the terrible flooding on the west side of the state, and so we will monitor and support that [12:33] process as it goes forward. But I will also add, and others will go into deeper detail, while we will [12:40] do everything we can to get support from the federal government, the key point for support here is from [12:48] our neighbors and our communities and our friends and families. There are going to be ways the city will [12:53] be telling you that you can support, the people of Spokane area can support, and we're going to need that. [12:59] So thanks, everyone. Be safe. Doesn't look like the weather's getting a lot better for the next week to 10 [13:06] days. It's still going to be dry, so we need to continue to have people be alert and follow the emergency [13:11] emergency management systems. Thank you. Commissioner. Good afternoon. My name is Dave [13:21] Upthegrove. I am Washington State's elected Commissioner of Public Lands, where I serve as [13:26] Director of the State Department of Natural Resources, the state agency responsible for wildland [13:32] wildfire response. And we are doing absolutely everything in our power to keep this city and this [13:39] community safe. We immediately were able to access a complex incident management team. We have some of [13:48] the best leadership in the nation leading the response on this fire. We've brought significant [13:54] assets to bear, both rotor and fixed wing aircraft, engines, dozers, hand crews. We have more than 900 [14:02] individuals among the different agencies battling the Spokane complex fires. It's worth noting that this is [14:09] one of 15 major fires burning throughout the state of Washington right now. More than 250,000 acres are on [14:17] fire in this state. This is an extraordinary wildfire season in the Pacific Northwest. It's not a normal [14:24] season. A confluence of weather conditions, a confluence of fires throughout the west are stretching our [14:31] resources and challenging the individuals in this response. You know, I think all of us hold in our hearts [14:39] the families who've lost their homes, those that are currently displaced, particularly those who are [14:45] medically fragile. And, you know, I've seen Spokane go through big challenges like this before. And [14:54] Spokane is a resilient and strong community that is going to rebuild. Everyone has a role to play in an [15:02] incident like this. First and foremost, if you receive an evacuation notice, heed that notice and evacuate [15:10] immediately. Wildfires move deceptively fast, can change direction suddenly, and are deadly. We've seen [15:17] the loss of life already earlier this summer from folks in the path of wildfires. Second, let's not forget [15:25] prevention. Don't be the spark that starts the next fire. There's no need right now to be lighting fires on [15:32] the landscape. Be safe in everything you do so we don't start additional fires to make this situation [15:40] even more difficult. And finally, as folks are battling these fires, we have about 4,000 individuals [15:47] fighting fires in this state right now. There are people running and putting their lives into harm's [15:53] way, running into the woods. And I think we all need to send our thoughts and our prayers to those who [15:59] are working so hard day in and day out. Here in Spokane, you're very fortunate to have incredible [16:05] emergency response agencies at the city and the county that are working collaboratively with the [16:10] State Department of Natural Resources. We're very appreciative and supportive of our federal partners. [16:16] We're getting strong support from the U.S. Forest Service and other federal partners. At the end of the [16:21] day, we're going to keep working hard to get this fire out and keep this community safe. With that, I will turn it over to [16:27] you. General. Good afternoon. Major General Gent Welsh, W-E-L-S-H. So I'm the State's Adjutant General. [16:37] So that means that not only the folks standing behind me, but I've got over 8,000 National Guardsmen in [16:44] this state standing beside this community and standing beside me ready to help. So let's talk about the fact [16:51] that Spokane woke up this morning to a tremendous tragedy. So having lived in this city for many years, [16:58] met my wife in this city, had two kids in this city, went to college in this city, the damage here is [17:05] very personal. And having lost a home back myself in 2018, I can completely empathize and understand [17:13] what the pain that this community is feeling. But let's talk about some of the things that are going [17:17] on right now and some of the actions that this state is doing for this community. I'll tell you, [17:22] emergency management disaster response is an absolute team sport. And what you've got standing behind me, [17:28] is a team that went through four stages of group dynamics in less than an hour in this building. [17:34] So this is a team that quickly formed, quickly gelled around exactly what needed to happen, [17:40] and is laser focused on not only just response in this community, but long-term recovery. So again, [17:47] you've got the entire resources right now, the National Guard available. So what we have right now, [17:52] we have over 100 National Guard members serving on Spokane streets right now. These are folks that [17:58] wear a uniform like me. And I want to make it absolutely clear, every one of those National Guard [18:03] members is a volunteer, and every one of those National Guard members is here to assist you, [18:08] and is here to assist the Spokane law enforcement community. Don't make up any other reasons for why the [18:15] National Guard is on your streets. They are here to help you, and they're here to help law enforcement. [18:19] Again, as we look to the future, there's going to be other challenges that we're going to have to face. [18:25] Getting folks back into their areas, it's going to take some time. You're going to need some patience [18:30] out there. Again, when you run into traffic control points, you run into folks out there, [18:34] they're doing that for your safety, and they're doing that for the safety of your property. [18:39] You don't want to be let in and then have others come running around your stuff. So just please respect [18:44] those traffic control points. There's probably plenty of ways to get around it, but you need to follow [18:48] the team that's out there asking you to do that. Again, as we look into long-term recovery, [18:54] it's going to take some time to get the debris removed. It's going to take some time to get the [18:58] utilities restored. We've got Vista here to talk to you as well. But just again, understand somebody [19:03] that wears a uniform like this every day, this is what your National Guard is prepared to do. This is [19:08] what we train to do, and we're here as long as it takes. Thank you. Commissioner? Thank you, Mayor. [19:18] Spokane County Commissioner Chris Jordan representing District 1, including many people up on Five Mile. [19:26] This has been a devastating event for our community and for so many people across the county. It's [19:31] obviously an ongoing, very dangerous situation. I just wanted to remind everyone to heed the evacuation [19:38] orders and listen to the direction of emergency personnel. One of the first people I reached out [19:45] to yesterday was the governor, and I said we need all the help we can get in Spokane, and the governor [19:50] responded saying we are on it. So thank you, Governor Ferguson, for being here and for your leadership. [19:56] As we start to hear about preliminary numbers of structures impacted, let's keep in mind that every [20:02] one of those is a family's dream and sense of security, and that's really important. I was in touch [20:08] throughout the day yesterday with the mayor, the sheriff, and many others. I had relatives up on [20:14] Five Mile that I was talking to while they were trying to get out up there, and at one point, you [20:20] know, they're trying to get out, and they're in their car, and all they can see is smoke everywhere, [20:25] and it was incredibly scary for so many people like that. So I was conveying some of those concerns to [20:31] the mayor and the sheriff, and I just wanted to say thank you to the police officers, everyone who was [20:35] involved directing traffic to get people out, and they did make it out. Their home is not standing, [20:41] we believe, but everyone I think in this county is going to have a story like that of someone who's [20:46] been impacted, people who are taking in family and loved ones. It's shocking, but it is so important [20:54] that we come together as a county like never before and support each other, check on friends, family, [21:00] and the vulnerable. I did get a chance to go by the Red Cross shelter, and I spoke to a nurse who had [21:05] just dropped everything from being on vacation out of town to come back and help. So that's who we are [21:10] in Spokane County. The county commissioners declared an emergency in the county last night. [21:17] That ensures that the emergency management department and the sheriff's office can operate with maximum [21:23] speed. And it shows our commitment to doing all we can to help those impacted. A few more specific [21:29] notes from the county. We are our staff at the county fairgrounds are working to prepare the fairgrounds [21:37] if needed for first responders to use that as a staging area. So we will be ready to offer the county [21:45] fairgrounds if needed. In the meantime, right now, people who have livestock, pets can come to the [21:54] fairgrounds. There is an ability to have people come in RV campers if they are prepared to camp. Please [22:03] go through the red gate off of Broadway. We would urge people as well to follow the official county [22:12] emergency management page. Also, Spokane Regional Emergency Communications, that is where the official [22:19] evacuation maps are posted. I did speak with Prosecutor McCollum and he asked me to pass along a message [22:27] that if anybody takes advantage of the suffering of others for looting, theft or other crimes, there [22:34] will be no tolerance. They will be aggressively prosecuted. I also spoke with our County Veterans [22:40] Service Office Service Center. If there are veterans out there that have questions about their benefits, [22:47] as it relates to accessing care at facilities other than the VA hospital, we would offer our Veterans [22:54] Service Center as a resource. People can search for Spokane County Veterans Services. They will do all [23:01] they can to assist and work with the VA and other entities. The phone number is 509-477-3690. [23:11] The Sheriff is here as well. If there are questions for him, I just want to thank Sheriff Knowles for [23:16] all you and your team are doing at the EOC. Thank you, Commissioner Kearns, as well. We've been in [23:21] constant communication. Thank you all. Thank you. I'm Heather Rosentrader, President and CEO of Avista. [23:32] I'm a lifelong Spokane community member and I'm honored to be able to serve my community in that [23:39] respect. And so, of course, as everyone said, it's been extraordinarily difficult and heartbreaking [23:46] weekend for our community. Many families have lost homes, been displaced by evacuations or continue to [23:53] face significant uncertainty. And this includes some of our employees who are experiencing some of these [23:59] impacts firsthand as well. And our thoughts are with everyone affected by these devastating fires and we [24:06] remain committed to supporting our customers and communities throughout the recovery process. And [24:11] I appreciate the opportunity to give more of an operational update about where things are at [24:16] from our perspective in terms of getting customers restored. And our crews are working around the clock [24:22] to assess damage, make repairs, restore service as quickly and safely as possible. We have over 50 crews [24:30] actively supporting and prepared to support restoration, including Avista crews, contract crews. [24:35] We've also engaged with our peer utilities across the region. I've had many reach out to me, [24:41] offering to help, and we will likely take advantage of that, their support through mutual aid. We're [24:47] waiting to be able to assess the situation so we better understand the scope and the time frame that we can [24:53] safely make those restorations. We're starting to get access to impacted areas. Thank you so much, Mayor Brown, [25:00] and thanks to just our coordinated partnerships and responding agencies. However, many of the impacted [25:06] areas do remain inaccessible due to the ongoing fire activity and evacuation orders. And so we don't have [25:13] a complete understanding of the damage at this point. Related to our electric customers, what we do know [25:21] is that we currently have just over 10,000 customers that are out of power, mainly in Spokane, but also up in the [25:30] Colville area. At the peak, we had over 30,000 customers out yesterday afternoon. Of those 30,000, 6,717 [25:39] were out of power due to the proactive preventative, like has been shared before, power outages. [25:48] And we were able to repair, patrol, and restore all of the customers who were impacted by those preventative [25:56] power outages that were solely impacted by those this morning. So all of that has been restored. That was [26:03] solely due to those preventative outages. To achieve that, our crews worked throughout last night, [26:09] used drones to get ground patrols in the affected areas to make sure it was safe before we could [26:14] re-energize the system. And crews constructed, made the necessary repairs. We did find some issues on [26:21] some of those. And so we feel that it reinforced the value of some of those proactive de-energizations [26:28] because we did find some trees in those lines that could have made an already really tragic situation [26:36] even worse. So over the, as of this morning, with the 10,000 customers that are out, about 8,600 of [26:44] those are related to the Indian Trail. Nine Mile area fires and evacuation areas, about 1,500 are the [26:52] result of the Colville and Davenport area fires, and about 400 are related to the Mead area fires. [26:59] And the numbers do continue to change, but we'll continue to keep the community updated through our [27:04] outage map and continued communications. And we currently expect restoration work impacted by the [27:11] fires to last through today and into the week likely, although timing could change based on fire [27:18] activity. And so again, we'll keep our customers and community updated through multiple channels. [27:24] The public safety power shutoffs implemented Saturday were a proactive measure to reduce wildfire risk. [27:29] And again, anyone who was out of power solely because of that has been restored now. And the [27:37] resulting, the remaining outages are the effect of active wildfire conditions, damage, utility [27:43] infrastructure, evacuation restrictions, or safety concerns that continue to limit access to the affected [27:51] areas. Due to the heightened focus that we had on these high risk areas, we don't believe our [27:58] facilities were involved in the ignition of any of these major fires in our area. And so again, [28:03] just reinforces that the work that we're doing is helping. We have identified significant damage [28:09] specifically to portions of our transmission system, particularly in West Spokane. Our transmission [28:16] facilities are critical to serving customers and are currently operating with less capability and [28:23] capacity capacity as our restoration is underway. And again, we just received access and are starting [28:31] those repairs now. But until our transmission, specifically two lines on our transmission system [28:37] are repaired, we're operating with lower capabilities. And so we are at risk of some customers [28:44] that aren't currently out now at the peak of our system during those hours of the day that our [28:50] customers are using the most energy that we could see some outages due to that reduced capability on [28:57] our transmission system. And one of the things I know we're all looking for ways we can help [29:02] because those outages would be related to having not enough capacity to serve. One of the things our [29:09] customers can do to help until we get those transmission lines restored is to help with [29:16] conservation. And so there are some small things our customers can do that can have a meaningful [29:23] impact related to turning your thermostats down just a little bit, looking at limiting your large [29:29] appliance use, again, and just until we get those transmission lines restored. And so we'll be [29:35] communicating the progress of those over the next couple days. And those efforts can reduce the strain on [29:42] the system. So related to our natural gas system, we have about 5300 natural gas customers that remain [29:48] without service. As we've shared before, restoring the natural gas system is a complex process because [29:57] it requires our employees to go to every home multiple times to ensure safe restoration. And so it is [30:05] different than the electric system. And so to repair damaged facilities, we have to get those inspections [30:14] done beforehand. And we are working on, again, mutual aid to support us to make sure we have as many [30:20] resources as needed to support that important process. And again, I want to reinforce though that [30:27] customers should not attempt to restore natural gas service themselves. Finally, again, we're working [30:33] closely with fire agencies, emergency management officials, community partners, so much appreciation [30:39] for what they all are doing to support our customers and community. We appreciate the tremendous efforts [30:47] and we're equally grateful for the patient's understanding and resilience demonstrated by our [30:53] customers. We know that they're already going through a scary time and not having electricity and gas [31:00] just exacerbates that challenge and we recognize that. So we understand how disruptive and stressful [31:07] these outages are and especially for those who have experienced significant loss. And we will continue [31:14] to work safely, communicate transparently, and do everything we can to restore customers [31:20] as quickly and safely as possible. And we'll continue to provide updates as we know more. So thank you very much. [31:26] Okay. We are not, the city and the county are going through a comprehensive asset mapping of all of our [31:38] assets in water, wastewater, stormwater, water reclamation. And we're not going to give you that [31:45] inventory today, but we will have that available soon. And that is information we're gathering both for the [31:52] the safety and service of our customers, but also to provide the federal government with some of the [31:57] information they need in the response. For everyone's information, the Mann Grand Staff VA hospital was in [32:07] the evacuation area. It was evacuated successfully. I want to thank our healthcare partners who are engaged in [32:15] helping vulnerable people and assisting people who have had to be moved from either that facility or [32:23] or other long-term care or assistance facilities. There are some ways people can help. [32:32] The Red Cross is our partner in the convention center evacuation center. There is still capacity there. [32:43] And we are organizing around both the care of the residents who are there and the basics such as water [32:53] and food. Council President was there last night monitoring the water and food supply. Thank you, [32:59] Council President. And if needed, a secondary site is being prepared. So we will have those sites available. [33:10] The city's shelter system is on full activation and there is capacity there as well. So you can go on our [33:17] website and contact us if you need those kinds of resources. And our navigation center is going to be [33:28] activated 24-7 for the foreseeable future. Some other ways to help. Our partners at the Inovia Foundation [33:38] have been working with the county and the city on starting a Spokane complex wildfire response fund. So you [33:47] will be able to find the donation link at Inovia.org. The city of Spokane has a wildfire recovery fund within [33:56] our Home Starts Here Fund, which is available for people to donate through their utilities or by going to the city [34:04] website. Second Harvest is accepting non-perishable food donations today from 2 to 5, tomorrow starting [34:13] at 8 at their East Front Avenue location. And we know of other funds that are becoming available. I think [34:23] there may be one in the Valley that we will publish all of those. Please utilize official sources when you are [34:30] looking at ways to help. And don't rely on pop-up non-official sources that are asking for your resources. [34:45] Finally, we just want everyone to take care of each other. We will give regular updates. There will be an [34:54] update tomorrow. I think it's reasonable to suggest evacuation areas are not opening today. So people [35:03] need to prepare for where they're going to be for the rest of the day, for the night. And over time, we [35:10] will also be providing additional information about housing resources, which we know will be needed by our [35:18] region. We will now open it up to questions. You said earlier that there's no update on deaths. Have [35:29] there been any reported injuries because of the fire? Sure. No, we don't. We don't have any reported [35:39] injuries, at least not to crime check or 911 and no reported deaths as of yet. Because of the scale of [35:48] this and what it takes to do those kinds of investigations in an active fire scene, [35:53] that that could change. We're hoping that that's not the case. I will say for people who are [36:00] trying to locate loved ones who were displaced, you know, particularly if they're in the evacuation [36:05] areas, if you are not able to contact a loved one that that should have been or might have been in [36:11] that location, call crime check 509-456-2233 and ask to make a missing persons report. Both the city and [36:20] county have law enforcement trying to look into as many of those cases as we can. But as of right now, [36:26] we are not aware of any fatalities or serious injuries. [36:29] A lot of small businesses that are closed because of the level three evacuations, [36:49] they're federal assistance that can be provided to those people who are losing bottom line. [36:54] Well, again, I think we would encourage people both seek out official sources, [36:59] not pop-up requests for assistance. When it comes to housing resources, there are housing resources [37:09] still available at the convention center that are no cost. And I hope and I believe people are [37:17] reaching out to their friends and families to provide housing assistance as well. [37:22] And when it comes to small business assistance, we will be putting that through our channels at both [37:29] the State Department of Commerce and the federal agencies. [37:33] Mayor, hold on. [37:34] And there is a federal price gouging law that was based on a case where somebody in the New England [37:39] area tried to overcharge for a snowblower in the middle of a snowstorm. So there is a federal law [37:44] and we will use it. Governor? [37:46] If I could just add one, just onto your price gouging question. So having spent 12 years as Attorney General, [37:51] I know that in a situation like this, Nick Brown is a fantastic Attorney General, leads a great team, [37:56] does great work. I'm very, very confident that that consumer protection team is actively tracking [38:01] any time there's a situation remotely as large as what we're seeing here. There's a team that's [38:06] activated and monitoring that closely. And we would, again, I don't want to speak for the Attorney [38:10] General, but if folks, individuals see what they think might be price gouging, I would encourage [38:15] them to absolutely communicate to the AG's office, the Consumer Protection Division, to file a complaint. [38:20] That certainly helped us during COVID times, for example, right? And would certainly help the [38:24] AG's office today. [38:25] Well, yes, yeah, what I would say is that in my time as governor, we had a large disaster [38:49] with the flood. And we, I obviously am aware of sometimes the challenges of some states receiving [38:57] FEMA funding, you know, of all the news. And so I did not view that as, hey, we're just not going to get [39:05] it. Rather, and we've talked about this in a meeting earlier, we just doubled down as a state [39:11] on making as compelling a case as possible. We reached out every member of our federal delegation, [39:15] for example, signed a letter of support. We did a video that had bipartisan elected officials [39:21] speaking in communities all across the state impacted. We just really moved heaven on earth to [39:26] make it as persuasive as humanly possible. And I will say to make sure that it wasn't just a document, [39:33] what's typically done when you make that request, it's a very lengthy document, [39:36] type written words on a piece of paper. I felt we should do something in addition to that, [39:41] which was literally doing a video so one could actually see the damage from those floods, [39:45] homes literally going down rivers, right? I'm confident you'll see something similar. [39:49] You will see, we will utilize the visuals of what I've certainly seen and what you've all seen, [39:54] thanks to the media, by the way, for getting that information out there to make sure it's not just [39:58] dry words on a piece of paper, right? That we'll be working just as we did before to make sure that the folks [40:03] who make these decisions back in Washington, D.C., fully understand, fully understand the breadth [40:09] and scope of this disaster. And I will just say, I can't speak to the past, I wasn't governor then, [40:15] but what I can say is I deeply appreciate the president taking time. I think I requested a conversation, [40:20] I'm losing track of the hours here today, but just a few hours ago. And I was on the phone with him [40:25] literally a couple hours later. And I had the clear sense he understood what was going on. [40:30] I had the clear sense he had been briefed on what was going on. He was knowledgeable about the [40:34] situation. And I appreciated that. So we, and I think the people that say Washington should know [40:42] that. So I can't promise the future, but what I can promise is we will be making a very, very [40:47] persuasive case. You'll see that same work from folks all across this community to be in conversation [40:53] with the federal government. And we'll do everything we can, because we know how important those resources [40:56] are for individuals, for businesses, for communities. We desperately, desperately for [41:01] infrastructure. We desperately need those resources. Can you talk about where resources are coming from? [41:11] When we were driving over today, we saw an engine and a truck from Salt Lake City. We're also curious [41:17] if resources from the west side of the state are coming over. Yep. For all of the fires in Washington [41:24] state right now, we have support from more than a dozen states from Florida to Alaska, as well as a small [41:32] team from Australia. And the support comes in different forms equipment or personnel. I'll let the incident [41:40] command here speak specifically to who's on this fire. But the state does have mutual aid agreements in [41:48] place prior to fire season that we negotiate throughout the United States. So that when we need an asset, [41:55] we can see who has it and acquire it. When another state has an asset, when we have something they need, [42:02] we help them. The challenge is this summer, the whole western United States is on fire. And these assets [42:08] are being spread thin. But we have more than a dozen states and as well as the nation of Australia [42:14] represented in Washington state right now. On this fire, I can't let you know after [42:19] which teams are here. There's a lot of frustration regarding evacuations yesterday with gridlock. [42:28] I spoke to one person who said a normal 20-minute drive took well over two hours from the bank last [42:33] night. What plans are in place to help kind of ease that in the future? And then there was also reports [42:39] of a motorcyclist who was injured during evacuation yesterday. Is there any updates regarding his condition? [42:45] On the issue of the traffic congestion yesterday, I'll say one thing and then turn it over to the [42:53] chief. Our preliminary indications is that people were very responsive to the evacuation orders [43:00] and that we had a very high percentage of people. And so that is good news. And it also led to traffic [43:06] congestion. In terms of how we dealt with it, I'll turn to Chief Hall. [43:10] Yeah, just to give you a level of the scope of the evacuations. In that particular area, in the level [43:18] three evacuation area, there are over 14,000 structures. A little over 10,000 of those are either [43:25] single-family or multi-family residences. The latest numbers we have from about an hour ago are that [43:33] about 60,000 individuals were evacuated in that amount of time. I think that's extraordinary and [43:42] my hat's off to both the firefighters and law enforcement who were there. But that's a lot [43:46] of people trying to get out of a couple of real choke points that have been problematic for that [43:52] particular area for a while now. It was not unknown to us. We were aware of it. And we did as best as we [43:59] could to get people out of there in that amount of time. But we're talking about 60,000 individuals. [44:05] And I have no information on the the motorcyclist. And just let me clarify the numbers I just gave [44:12] you are strictly for the city limits. Is there an update regarding, we have the individual numbers, [44:20] but is there an update on the amount of structures that were potentially threatened throughout the fires [44:25] in the area? I would leave that up to Chief Williams. Well then, I actually don't have the whole number [44:34] of structures that were threatened between the city and Fire District 9 and Fire District 10. [44:39] Those numbers will be will be coming out more in the future. Today, this morning, the critical incident [44:46] management team 7 with Incident Commander Tom Clemo took over. And we'll start getting a little [44:50] bit more information from that team as we move forward. Just one sec. I just want to say on the [44:59] evacuation, as someone who was evacuated off Five Mile Prairie, you know, there's only four ways up and down [45:05] there. One, I want to speak to some of the best of what I saw yesterday. And as people were evacuating [45:10] early, I did see citizens getting out, directing traffic in a way that made it orderly. I expressed [45:16] my concerns about moving along as things were getting smoky to the mayor and others. And by the [45:23] time I hit the bottom of Cedar and Ash, two SPD officers were directing traffic in a way that was [45:30] heroic. People were moving. A lot of people were getting off the prairie very quickly. Once [45:35] that was put in place. So my grad due there. I also want to remind people when you're asked to [45:39] evacuate, do it. Don't wait. I'm State Senator Marcus Riccelli, by the way. I represent portions [45:43] of the Five Mile. The concern that I saw too, though, was people panicking, people driving down the wrong [45:50] side of the road before both sides were opened up, not allowing vehicles to move up. And so just remain [46:00] calm. We've got now National Guard here. We've got law enforcement and they'll get people out. So follow [46:06] those orders. Thank you. We can take a couple more questions. Yeah, Bradley. I'm just wondering [46:11] on the basics front, have we identified where this started? We identified a cause? Do we have any [46:17] number of injury or are we still at where we were at yesterday? Just generic information. [46:23] Yeah, this fire started in Fire District 10. Chief Don Malone was the initial incident commander, [46:30] traveled through the city and into Chief Matt Vinci's Fire District 9. We don't know the cause. It's still [46:35] under investigation. I think we've said once that there's no reported injuries that we're aware [46:40] of right now. Today is only day two. So, you know, time will tell. What's the worst fire that's happened [46:47] in Washington State? I couldn't speak for Washington State. I can tell you that I believe it is probably [46:54] for the city of Spokane and our partnering regional agencies. What is the cost going to look like for [47:01] recovery of an event like this? Not sure. I can just add to that. I mean, it's obviously an extremely [47:14] important question. Obviously, we don't have anywhere near that information for all sorts of obvious [47:19] reasons, right? So what I will say, though, is that there will be an accounting of that. So we make [47:25] our request for FEMA assistance. That's part of the information that we need to pull together. So the [47:29] state works very closely with local elected officials, local folks to compile all that information of [47:36] damaged business, individuals, homes, et cetera. We pull all that information together and then submit it [47:41] to the federal government. So we obviously don't have that information today for all sorts of obvious reasons, [47:46] but there will come a time when we gather that information. That does take some time, which we [47:49] appreciate people's patience, and we'll communicate that out obviously to the media once we have that [47:53] type of information. I know we're working with the first responders and we're taking their lead [48:12] on when they think it needs to happen from a safety perspective. So as I communicated with our team, [48:18] it sounded like that was just as expected with that coordination. [48:22] questions from the folks on the webinar. Okay. Okay, great. Thanks, Ryan. Jerry Kornfeld, do we [48:35] have any ideas to the cause? I think we covered that. I think we covered that. We do not at this [48:43] point in time that it's under investigation. At the New York Times, do we have anyone unaccounted [48:50] for? So just to close up on that, that that question about unaccounted for, I'm just going to [49:01] channel the chief here, that that was mentioned earlier. This report may have come on later, [49:04] and the answer was there's nobody currently unaccounted for, but I think the chief mentioned [49:09] that could obviously change given the scope of the challenge. Yeah, and people who are concerned [49:15] about someone who they have not had contact with should report to crime check and both city and [49:23] county law enforcement are doing those welfare checks. Joe Sullivan, specifically for Governor [49:31] Ferguson, you had mentioned specific items requested. What were those specifics? Oh, [49:37] thanks for that question. My apologies if I didn't cover that. I've probably written it down, [49:39] and I'm going to ask the general to assist me because I'm now working off memory. And if we neglect to [49:46] include everything, we'll follow up and Veronica can follow up with a list. But I know search and rescue [49:51] was a part of that request. I know that housing assistance was a part of that request. I know that [49:56] assistance with literally food, right? So folks who need three meals a day right now was certainly a part [50:03] of that request. I know that debris removal was a part of that request. And I'm going to turn to the [50:08] general hopefully maybe. So I think that's, and I will, I forgot who asked that question, but they should feel [50:16] free to reach out to Brianna just to make sure I didn't, I didn't miss an item in there. But it's a [50:20] fairly, this is just emphasize, as folks who were there on the call, things move very quickly, [50:26] right? And so we're reaching out to local officials. We depend on them for what they need. [50:30] That may change as they get a greater sense of the scope of the tragedy. But I just really want to [50:35] emphasize, you know, for FEMA officials, they move very, very quickly. They arranged that call. We had it just [50:41] before the press conference. That's why, frankly, we were a little bit delayed was getting that call in. So that request [50:45] has been made. And they moved very quickly with the flood request for that short-term assistance. [50:49] We literally had assistance within hours. And I'm optimistic it will be a similar response. But I want [50:54] to emphasize, we're deeply grateful to FEMA for how quickly they respond to us. [50:57] We had the same reports. We've investigated each and every one. And once again, I want to say, [51:17] I'm speaking strictly for the city. The sheriff can certainly speak for the county. [51:21] And we found no credibility to any of those. We're using all of the tools available to us and [51:27] all of the technology available to us to protect folks' property and their homes while they're not [51:33] there. Chief, does that mean you have deputies out patrolling neighborhoods or stationed in [51:41] neighborhoods? I can't remember. We have officers. Yesterday, we had the assistance of the county and [51:46] the deputies. As the fires grew in the county, obviously, they had to siphon off their resources. [51:52] But now we have over a general, I believe it's over 100 National Guardsmen who are assisting us [51:58] in safeguarding the property in those neighborhoods. I'm County Commissioner Josh Kearns. One of the other [52:09] things I wanted to touch on in regards to not only the potential for looting, but is during the recovery [52:17] process, the victims of these fires are going to be approached by a lot of people that are going to [52:22] try to sell them things. We noticed during the Grays in Oregon Road fire a couple of years ago, [52:29] many times those are not the best actors. Sometimes those individuals do not deliver on those promises. [52:35] So I just really want to encourage folks who have been victims of these fires, do your research. [52:41] If you are hiring someone, if you are exchanging money for a service, make sure you do the research [52:47] on those individuals to just make sure that you are working with positive actors who are actually [52:54] going to deliver on what it is that they are offering you. And then also a part of the recovery, [53:01] we do have the benefit of having a Spokane Regional Long-Term Recovery Group that was stood up as a part of [53:07] the Gray and Oregon Road fire and they will play a huge part in this recovery as well. And they will [53:12] be much more forward facing when we get to that stage. Thank you. Great. Thank you. I wanted to, [53:18] do we have time? One more question and then I have a story to close. [53:23] I don't know if there's any homes that are still at risk and if the fire is still continuing to grow past [53:28] its current boundaries. Either. Yes, there are. This fire is still very active and it's going to be for [53:40] for some time until we can get crews to visit every place that was affected by it. [53:45] As far as its outside boundaries, I would not say that it's contained, but we have what we feel like [53:51] is relatively decent control, but it could change at any time. I mean, today's weather was a concern [53:56] with a different wind direction. So this is very dynamic and it will be for a little bit more time. [54:02] I just want to close with a story. I was at the convention center this morning at the evacuation center [54:11] and thanks to Red Cross and the volunteers. It was it was calm and organized and people were being [54:19] cared for and someone recognized me and called me over and it was a woman and her son and the son [54:28] had evacuated when the order came out and his mother had refused. And the someone knocked on her door [54:42] and I don't know if this was city or or county sheriff because they were both out there doing that and they [54:48] convinced her to leave and they helped her evacuate with her four cats and she's in a safe place right [54:59] now because of of our first responders and because of our community's assistance to her and we just have [55:07] to keep that moving forward regardless of of what the fires bring us. So thank you everybody for being here.