WASHINGTON – This week, U.S. Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell will travel to California and Washington to highlight community preparedness and resilience efforts in the face of natural disasters, accelerated by climate change.
On Wednesday, Oct. 14, Jewell will join U.S. Congressman Scott Peters (CA-52) in San Diego to discuss the devastating impact of wildfires across the state. Jewell, Peters and fire officials will tour wildfire-prone communities in the San Diego region, receive a briefing on current conditions at the Incident Command Center, and meet with firefighters.
Fire seasons are becoming longer and more intense. The Obama Administration and Congressman Peters have called for a new funding framework that would treat wildfires similar to other natural disasters. The budget proposal would provide greater certainty in addressing growing fire suppression needs while preserving funds meant for prevention and other non-suppression programs, such as fuels reduction and post-fire rehabilitation.
On Thursday, Oct. 15, Jewell and U.S. Congresswoman Suzan DelBene (WA-1) will participate in a roundtable discussion with scientists and climate change experts on building resilient communities to prepare for geologic hazards such as earthquakes, volcanic eruptions and landslides; and climate change-related hazards such as wildfire, sea level rise, drought and flooding.
Before the roundtable discussion, DelBene and Jewell will visit the community of Oso to see first-hand the devastation of last year’s SR 530 Landslide. Jewell and DelBene will also participate in a Great ShakeOut drill with students from Darrington School District at the Oso Fire Department as part of a global education campaign to help people prepare for earthquakes. The ShakeOut is the largest public safety drill in the world, with nearly 20 million people across the United States expected to participate this year.
California:
Who:
Sally Jewell, U.S. Secretary of the Interior
Scott Peters, U.S. Congressman (CA-52)
Brian Fennessey, Incoming Fire Chief, City of San Diego
What:
Tour of Incident Command Center followed by brief media availability
When:
Wednesday, Oct. 14, 2015
10:15 a.m. PDT – Media check-in
10:30 a.m. PDT – Tour of Incident Command Center and brief media availability – opportunity for b-roll
Where:
Monta Vista Command Center
2249 Jamacha Road
El Cajon, CA 92019
Media:
Credentialed members of the media are encouraged to RSVP here.
Washington:
SR 530 Landslide Site Visit & Great ShakeOut Drill:
Who:
Sally Jewell, U.S. Secretary of the Interior
Suzan DelBene, U.S. Congresswoman (WA-1)
Dr. Rich Ferrero, NW Regional Director, U.S. Geological Survey (USGS)
Dr. Jonathan Godt, Landslide Hazard Coordinator, USGS
John Ewert, Cascade Volcano Observatory, Geologist, USGS
Dan Rankin, Mayor, Darrington, WA
Barb Tolbert, Mayor, Arlington, WA
Kevin Lennon, Vice Chairman, Sauk-Suiattle Tribe
Shawn Yanity, Chief, Stillaguamish Tribe
What:
SR 530 Landslide site visit and Great ShakeOut Drill
When:
Thursday, Oct. 15, 2015
9:10 a.m. PDT – Media check-in
9:25 a.m. PDT – SR 530 Landslide site visit
10:15 a.m. PDT – Great ShakeOut drill
Where:
Landslide Tour: Montague Mainline
SR 530
Arlington, WA 98223
Great ShakeOut Drill: Oso Fire Department
21824 SR-530
Arlington, WA 98223
Media:
Credentialed members of the media are encouraged to RSVP here.
Roundtable Discussion on Climate Change and Natural Disasters:
Who:
Sally Jewell, U.S. Secretary of the Interior
Suzan DelBene, U.S. Congresswoman (WA-1)
Dr. Rich Ferrero, Northwest Regional Director, USGS
Dr. Craig Weaver, Earthquake Hazards Program Coordinator for the Pacific Northwest, USGS
Dr. Cindi Barton, Center Director, Washington Water Science Center, USGS
Sue Phillips, Acting Fire Science Coordinator, USGS
Dave Norman, WA’s State Geologist, UW/DNR
Dan Ritzman, Associate Director, Our Wild America Campaign, Sierra Club
Shawn Yanity, Chief, Stillaguamish Tribe
What:
Roundtable discussion on climate change and natural diasters
When:
Thursday, Oct. 15, 2015
11:45 a.m. PDT – Media check-in
12:00 p.m. PDT – Roundtable discussion followed by a brief media availability
Where:
USGS Western Fisheries Research Center
6505 NE 65th St
Seattle, WA 98115
Media:
Credentialed members of the media are encouraged to RSVP here.
Source: Department of Interior
