Foreign
UN Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres, has expressed sadness at the wildfires in the State of California, which killed at least 31 people and burned a staggering 6,500 homes.
Guterres, in a statement by his Deputy Spokesman, Farhan Haq, said he was “deeply saddened by the loss of lives and extensive damage that resulted from the wildfires.”
Three major fires are burning through the state, reportedly the most destructive wildfires in California’s history, and officials are bracing for the possibility that the death toll could rise significantly.
The UN chief extended his heartfelt condolences to the families of the victims and to the Government and people of the United States.
The Secretary-General said he stood in solidarity with the Government of the United States.
The fires, whipped by strong winds, raged through thousands of acres of forests and in both Northern and Southern California on Monday.
The inferno had already wiped out Paradise – a town in the Sierra Nevada – and forced the evacuation of tens of thousands of residents west of Los Angeles, while more than 200 people unaccounted for in Paradise.
The inferno burnt about 200,000 acres and was only about 25 per cent contained as at Monday.
U.S. President, Donald Trump, said on Monday evening on Twitter that he had approved a request to declare the fires in California a major disaster, making people affected eligible for various types of federal government support.
Trump tweeted: “I just approved an expedited request for a Major Disaster Declaration for the State of California.
“Wanted to respond quickly in order to alleviate some of the incredible suffering going on. I am with you all the way. God Bless all of the victims and families affected”.
The president in his tweets earlier said: “More than 4,000 are fighting the Camp and Woolsey Fires in California that have burned over 170,000 acres.
“Our hearts are with those fighting the fires, the 52,000 who have evacuated, and the families of the 11 who have died. The destruction is catastrophic. God Bless them all.
“The California Fire Fighters, FEMA and First Responders are amazing and very brave. Thank you and God Bless you all!”
Trump, while raising an alarm on the seriousness of the inferno cautioned that: “these California fires are expanding very, very quickly (in some cases 80-100 acres a minute).
“If people don’t evacuate quickly, they risk being overtaken by the fire. Please listen to evacuation orders from State and local officials.”
The president had earlier incurred the wrath of the fire fighters when tweeted over the weekend that “there is no reason for these massive, deadly and costly forest fires in California except that forest management is so poor.
“Billions of dollars are given each year, with so many lives lost, all because of gross mismanagement of the forests. Remedy now, or no more Fed payments!
“With proper Forest Management, we can stop the devastation constantly going on in California. Get Smart.”
The International Association of Firefighters called the president’s comments an “irresponsible” and “reckless” act on behalf of the Trump administration.
The association said “President Donald Trump has chosen to respond with an irresponsible, reckless and insulting tweet criticising the work being done on the frontline to contain these disasters.
“While fire fighters and civilians are still in harm’s way, the president even suggested cutting off necessary funding to keep Americans safe.”
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– Nov. 13, 2018 @ 09:35 GMT |
Tags: Trump saddened by California wildfires UN chief
