Letter to Michael D. Brown, Undersecretary of Homeland Security

January 6, 2004

The Honorable Michael D. Brown
Undersecretary of Homeland Security
Federal Emergency Management Agency
500 C Street, SW
Washington, DC 20472

Dear Undersecretary Brown:

I understand that Governor Schwarzenegger has formally requested that the December 25 San Bernardino mudslides be included in the disaster declaration that President Bush issued on October 27 covering the wildfire areas in Southern California. I strongly support his request.

I had been informed that an earlier verbal request for this inclusion was rejected by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). If this is true, that would have been a huge injustice to my state because the devastating mudslides were a direct result of the fires.

I wrote to you on November 17, 2003 in anticipation of damaging mudslides after the catastrophic wildfires, and strongly urged you to release FEMA disaster relief funds for measures that would reduce threats to life and property from erosion, floods and mudslides in Southern California (see enclosed letter).

The mudslides that have occurred resulted in significant property damage and in a tragic loss of life. It is important to assist these communities now by providing funding to prevent additional mudslides that could result in more deaths and loss of property.

I also believe that the federal government should intensify its efforts to reduce the potential of further preventable slides in the counties of San Diego, Riverside, San Bernardino and Ventura where wildfires occurred last fall.

Please call me at my San Francisco office immediately so we can discuss this issue further.

Thank you for your consideration of this important matter.

Sincerely,

Barbara Boxer
United States Senator