the it for fema. i have concerns with fema's readiness as well as approach to dealing with state and local territory and tribal entities and will highlight it later in my statement. first would like to note what i hope to hear in your testimony today. i'd like to hear your vision for the following. how would you make sure that fema is adequately staffed due to staff burnout. how can they revamp this for applicants, bureaucrat particular and takes too long. how does fema plan to view grants going forward and does fema think any changes should be made as we approach the 20th anniversary of 9/11. what role can fema play in shoring up the community of securities which funded law enforcement critical to the mohammed security mission. how does fema view its role in future pam, should fema take the lead or a support role. how does fema plan for the flood insurance program. what is the future for the brick program and how do you make sure it's the program that congress envisioned and interested how fema will

. >> reporter: fema's billion assistance program is the largest of its kind in the nation's history but eligibility is presented to loved ones with death certificates saying the death was caused by or likely caused by covid-19. >> it is a process and one step is to make sure that covid-19 is mentioned on the death certificate. >> reporter: a partner at the family funeral care has been guiding families through the fema process and helping to amend death certificates. >> your part could be considered done but some are coming back to say can we get more help. >> this is another element in it and we want to be the guide on the side for the family. >> reporter: the fema administrator told cbs news the process is intentionally agains fraud. >> we put controls in place to identify that and try to reduce any potential opportunities for people to take advantage of that program when they shouldn't be. >> reporter: they have now had the certificate amended and fema is reviewing the application. it could especially be a problem for those whose loved ones died early in the pandemic when testing was

fema says it's aware of imposters who are pretending to be fema. they're emailing, calling, and texting people, tricking them into forking over personal information or money to apply. it's all bogus. the application is free and fema isn't reaching out to anyone. you have to call in order to apply. and again, that number is 1-844-644 doctor -- 844-644-6333. >>> heat poses too much of a health risk for anyone doing outdoor activities for any extended period of time. it will be triple digits in some parts of southern california. >> he knows how to drink out of my hydration pack. i keep a kit on me at all times for me and the dog. >> i hydrate the day before very well. at least a gallon of water a day. >> if you're going outside to do anything physical, bring water and bring that hat too. >> hot down there, hot over here. >> no escaping it. >> jeff ranieri is back with us. it's not just hot, it's dangerous here. >> it really is, those heat warnings are stretching from salt lake city, las vegas, and phoenix, and most of the state of california. the othe

howto integrate equity from fema within fema programs and regulations and policies these are all welcome steps that will hopefully further disaster equity. but, integrating it. but, integrating equity in emergency management will not be easy or a quick fix it requires a long-term sustainable commitment resources and a willingness to support innovation to solve complex and deeply rooted inequities in programs and policies emergency managers need to be trained on. howto integrate equity disaster equity leaders should be leveraged we'll need to empower marginalized communities and frontline organizations and support uh and and add support and and and support efforts to increase diversity within the emergency management profession simply put doing things the same way will result in the same inequities we have seen as disasters increase by taking these courageous steps and others will be better prepared to meet one of the greatest challenges of the 21st century thank you chairwoman demings and i look forward to offering recommendations and answering questions from the subcommittee . >> thank

reporter: on the fema meeting. given that meeting happened today, fema still involved in setting up shelters at the borders. since we're going into hurricane season, as you said, is there a deadline on when fema will be pulled out of that process of assisting at the border? jen: i don't have anything to assess for fema. obviously, they'll make that assessment in coordination with the leadership at the department of homeland security but i don't have a timeline. they've been a key resource. reporter: going back to the 70% goal. the c.d.c. said there are 13 states falling way short. less than 55%. four states are below 50%. should those states get more of a focus right now and not the nationwide effort that the administration plans on the strategy to get vaccinations up? jen: we are not not focusing on those states. one, it's important to note, when we give the are statistics, 87% of all seniors, 70% age 40 and over, 65% of all those 30 and overs, they're in red states and blue states and purple states or whatever co

this morning, i received the emergency declaration from fema, and that has happened. that is going to turn on what is referred to as category a, debris removal, category b protective measures and individual assistance for fema reimbursement. we will be providing throughout the day additional details as more fema staff roll in on the individual assistance piece, but i think we should set the expectation now is that that will be limited to addresses at 8777 collins road. so please just know that that is coming. as i said, fema is on the way. the first individual came in about 3:00 a.m. this morning. that is our state regional coordinator paul williams. he is going to be followed by about 15 additional personnel from fema throughout the day. we also have additional staff from the florida division management coming in today. i'd be remiss if i didn't say the entire team that works in tallahassee is activated. the men and women there are ready to support as needed. and again, as we've always said at these disasters, fema helps federally support a disaster, the state helps

we have the fema administrator. we are so grateful for their presence and for the incredible teams that they brought to bear here in this community and as you know, we've been working around the clock. since the wee hours of the morning thursday, we've been here, 24 hours a day. our teams have done an amazing job and yesterday we suppressed the fire that had been going out of control and the smoke that was inhibiting activities in certain parts of the pile. so around noon yesterday that was brought under control, making it possible for the search to continue and those areas as well. so throughout the rest of the day and through the night and until now, we are working. we have six to eight squads that are on the pile, actively searching at any given time. hundreds of team members are on standby to rotate as we need a fresh start. so we are not lacking any personnel but we have the best. we have the right people and the right number and we are getting it done. as we continue to sweep these piles with our k-9s, with ou

he got a briefing from fema just last week. i would say again that the president is absolutely committed to addressing climate. it is one of his four crises he's identified as central to this presidency. the components in the infrastructure package are a down payment on that. he will continue to advocate for, fight for additional steps in the reconciliation package and moving forward through the course of his presidency. reporter: i want to ask two questions. framework was announced last week policing, justice in policing act. with that said what pieces are in that the white house sought. what pieces are out that the white house wants back in? qualified immunity may or may not be in there. some parts may be enforced. jen: i understand your question, april. we are going to let the negotiators speak to more specifics of what is in the framework anti-next steps from their end. we are closely in touch with them. as i noted in the past the president looks forward to welcoming them to the white house at some point when appropriate. w

fema has taken that authority and last year launched the bric program and we applaud fema for unprecedented efforts in implementing this program. in its inaugural year fema offered 500 million for bric, but received almost 3.6 billion in requested projects. fema administrator has stated that one of the top priorities is to build a new culture of disaster resilience. but we know it far exceeds the resources available and new funding alone is not going to solve a problem of this magnitude. so the friends and alliances of the build strong coalition have developed the following policy recommendations that we'll share with you. first, increase the funding, or resilience before the next disaster, climate impact or catastrophic failure. mitigation saves lives, property and taxpayer money. mitigation saves the environment and we know it's a smart use of federal resources and will save taxpayers dollars, everywhere 4 to 11 for every dollar invested, but again, the resources are woefully inadequate. secondly, we need to create incentives for building stronger and tie federal funding streams to the ad

reporter: on the fema meeting. given that meeting happened today, fema still involved in setting up shelters at the borders. since we're going into hurricane season, as you said, is there a deadline on when fema will be pulled out of that process of assisting at the border? jen: i don't have anything to assess for fema. obviously, they'll make that assessment in coordination with the leadership at the department of humanitarian but i don't -- department of homeland security but i don't have a timeline. they've been a key resource. reporter: going back to the 70% goal. the c.d.c. said there are 13 states falling way short. less than 55%. four states are below 50%. should those states get more of a focus right now and not the nationwide effort that the administration plans on the strategy to get vaccinations up? jen: we are not not focusing on those states. one, it's important to note, when we give the are statistics, 80% of all seniors, 70% of those aged 30 and over, they're from red states and blue states and purpl

we have the fema administrator. we are so grateful for their presence and for the incredible teams that they brought to bear here in this community. and as you know, we've been working around the clock since the we -- since the wee hours of the morning thursday, we've been here every day. our teams have done an amazing job and thursday we suppressed the fire that had been going out of control and the smoke that was inhibiting activities in certain parts of the pile, so around noon yesterday that was brought under control, making it possible for the search to continue in those areas as well. so throughout the rest of the day and through the night and until now, we are working. we have six to eight squads that are on the pile actively searching at any given time. hundreds of team members are on stand-by to rotate as we need a fresh start. so we are not lacking any personnel, but we have the best. we have the right people and the right number and we are getting it done. as we continue to sweep these piles with our cani

now lawmakers want to know whether fema will be ready to respond to future disasters today. fema administrator deanna criswell face some questions from house members on the organization's ability to respond to disasters of all types from the pandemic and building collapses to the fallout from cyber attacks. >> supplement. i could function such as the cajuns training operations back in the said he had support fiscal year 20 to budget is going to add 10 additional employees to the fema staff to specifically address and strengthen our own cybersecurity posture. >> president biden wants to increase the budget for fema by more than 28 billion dollars and democrats say it will help make up for the last administration's decision to downplay climate change. many are saying that climate change must become a national priority. >> in the north bay santa rosa could become the next to city to impose water restrictions because of the extreme drought conditions in the bay area. the city council is meeting right now to consider declaring a water shortage emergency and to mandate that reside

lawmakers want to make sure fema is ready to handle them all in today. fema administrator deanna criswell faced questions from house members on the organization's ability to respond to disasters that included criticism from at least one republican congressman who accused fema of treating rural areas as an afterthought in crisis. democratic members of congress. meanwhile, called for fema to expand resources for climate change and cybersecurity criswell says there are plans to add staff in the next year to specifically address cyber security concerns. now the bay area news and buyer fatigue is setting in for some people in the housing market realtors and economists say in ventura is up in the bay area. and as kron 4 sleeps call reports, there are a bunch of factors behind that and the lifting of pandemic restrictions as one of them. >> zillow economist nancy wu says home values in the bay area are rising with more than 2 thirds of listed properties selling over asking price within the span of a week. she also notes inventory is increasing with more propert

and that is the cause listed on the -- for up to $9,000 in fema funeral assistance, a big help for the working parents. >> for us it would be good help but money don't mean anything. we obviously wish we had our parents back more than anything. >> oscar sr. died six months later at 82. >> the day before he died i had the opportunity to hold and kiss and thank him for everything he has done. >> reporter: they say he died from cov9 sitive weeksore his death. he w. >> i didn't know what happened. when the funeral home asked the wasn't placed on the death certificate. >> reporter: fema's billion assistance program is the largest of its kind in the nation's history but eligibility is presented to loved ones with death certificates saying the death was caused by or likely caused by covid-19. >> it is a process and one step is to make sure that covid-19 is mentioned on the death certificate. >> reporter: a partner at the family funeral care has been guiding families through the fema process and helping to amend death certificates. >> your part could be considered done but some are coming back

he does believe there should be an and that. >> a fema, member of the resources fema sending to the ground. >> building science experts to the scene. officials from the national institute of standards and technology officials from osha and the fbi. they've all been deployed to surfside a surfside under their own to help participate provide expertise in that. >> and that effort. >> that was kareen wynter reporting for us tonight. we're also learning more about the repairs that were being planned for the condo building before it collapsed. more than 9 million dollars in major renovations have been recommended 3 years ago, engineers and construction experts say several major repairs needed to be done as soon as possible. but other than some work on the roof. we're started. the exact cause of the collapse is still undetermined. authorities say it could be months before we have an answer. 2 local firefighters are headed to south florida to help first responders with the search and rescue efforts. chris landry and jeff. peter are members of oakland's fire departments there. fema urban search and

he does believe there should be an and that. >> a fema, member of the resources fema sending to the ground. >> building science experts to the scene. officials from the national institute of standards and technology officials from osha and the fbi. they've all been deployed to surfside a surfside under their own to help participate provide expertise in that. >> and that effort. >> that was kareen wynter reporting chris landry and jeff. peter are members of the oakland fire departments. fema urban search and rescue task force. they are heading to that site to help in the recovery effort. the miami dade mayor says a 151 people who may have been in the building still remain unaccounted for. >> state leaders are meeting right now. they are set to announce funding for the san jose vta rail yard where a gunman shot and killed 9 co-workers and himself. lawmakers are expected to approve millions of dollars that will help officials at the rail yard. better provide for the workers and their families. the money is also meant to help light rail transit resume at the rail yard. well, making safety impr

i want to complement fema. we were under siege during covid-19. we lost a lot of lives but they were always there, particularly during a very difficult and very unhelpful time of trying to get ppe and other equipment. i yield back. rep. thompson: the chair recognizes the gentleman from this recipe, -- from mississippi. >> thank you for joining us today and reviewing the information you have submitted to this committee. the category you addressed was challenges at the border. you stated that the challenges at the board have been elevated. he went on to say that this resulted in substantial strain on transportation and holding capacities. there was a recent surge in unaccompanied children and this provides a serious challenge to dhs. the last time you were here, you are questioned by ranking member cap, -- katko. the asked given the tremendous rise in individuals coming to the border, would it be fair to call this a crisis. your response was i am not spending any time on the language we use. i am spending time on the operations at the border. we see

fema has a process to reimburse us. it's a lengthy one. which we expect. but as of today, fema has obligated $36 million and actually paid us $15 million. you can see there's a significant time lag there. we managed the time lags through cash flow needs in the controller's office. it doesn't affect the resources available for the mayor and the board to appropriate. and we would notify the mayor and the board to the extend that we saw cash flow becoming a more significant issue. [ please stand by ] -- we know it's supported by pension and international travellers and how quickly we'll see that return to san francisco and the second is the impact of telecommuting and the downtown core. those are the significant factors and it makes assumptions telecommuting wanes this fall fairly significantly and makes similar conservative assumption on the rebound and more significantly in the two fiscal years after. we'll continue to keep the board up to date as these things change. the last consideration is $625 million in one stimulus. as we talked about in the forecast

fema, they've provided as they know the magnitude of this event. we've created a city inside of a city. several blocks. we appreciate the patience the community has had as we do the most amazing efforts in the history of the state of florida to save the lives at risk because of this terrible tragedy. governor, thank you for your leadership. mayor. >> good morning, everyone. kevin guthrie. yesterday at about 4:15 yesterday afternoon, we asked for the assistance of a federal incident support team, specifically related to urban search and rescue. fema was in the room at the same time. the former communication of the request happened in minutes. that request was set up and mobilized. and we have followed up with the necessary paperwork. again, i think it's important for everyone to understand that as soon as the mayor, chief, director need a resource, we are sitting together, we're working together underneath the leadership of the governor, lieutenant governor, the mayor and others to make sure that happens instantly. again, as the congresswoman said,

i'm grateful for all the work fema has done for iowans. several disasters including more than $11 million in individual assistance grants in response. however, i believe there are significant room for improvement. ihp particularly when it comes to clarity and transparency with the average american is going through this process, so i recently wrote a letter to the administrator requesting data on the ihp program, acceptance rates, the appeals process to fema ruling denying assistance. and in september the gao issued a report on the effectiveness of ihp citing that of the 4.4 million people who applied for that assistance, only 2 million were found eligible aid.eceived that specifically gao found fema needs to increase clarity in the application process for those who need to supply more information in their application. we saw that happen with our constituents. in this report gao recommended 14 action directly to fema on how to improve this program. so mr. secretary, my question to you today is can you provide a status update on the departme

but fema is down there taking a look at what's needed and including everything from if the rest of the buildings have to be evacuated, founding housing and making sure they have the capacity to have a place to shelter and food to eat. that is under way now. and my chief of staff has been deeply involved in this from the very beginning and the cabinet involved in it now dealing with fema and working on it and i made it clear, i say to the people of florida, whatever help you want and the federal government can provide, we are waiting, just ask us, we will be there. we will be there. reporter: what do you say about the vice president going to the border tomorrow? [ [indiscernible conversation] >> we have already begun the process. those who helped us are not going to be left behind. i don't know that, i will be meeting with -- and coming to my office but they are will commed here just like anyone here who has risked their lives >> coming up today on c-span, the houses is back at 9:00 a.m. eastern to consider overturning a trump-era role, limiting the epa's ability. 2:30, we are live from

fema was in the room at the exact same time. the informal communications of that request happened in minutes. so that was -- that request was sent out and mobilized and we have followed up the necessary paperwork. i think it's important for everyone to understand as soon as mayor cava and can chief and director ramirez need a resource we're sitting together and working together underneath the leadership of the governor, lieutenant governor, mayor cava and others to make it happens instantly. congresswoman said there is no daylight between either one of those. that's important for everyone to know. i will say we also are mobilizing today a florida dhs bus to help people get i.d. cards for those displaced. they need i.d. cards and driver's licenses and things of that nature. that bus will be deployed today and should be here on site tomorrow. thank you. >> thank >> thank you, and now the surfside mayor, charles prickett. >> i just have a handful of things i wanted to share with you. this morning i was at the site and i observed hu

fema is stepping in. they're bringing in heavy machinery to help with the search and rescue operation that is focused on the underneath of the high-rise condo, which is filling up with water. it's raining. at times extremely windy. and they have to use water to try and tamp down the dust and tamp down and clear up the visibility as they work under treacherous conditions trying to save people, trying to find people, using special devices to listen for breathing and for voices. we're going back now to the live news conference in surfside. >> rescue operations continue throughout the night. this was augmented with additional usar members from florida task force one to echo the message of our great mayor, we are pulling additional resources from fema to assist and to provide relief for some of those individuals. this is coupled with the firefighters already on scene, bringing the total of 130 firefighters through this operation. as you saw that we did have the fire reignite but did not slow down or search and

everyone impacted by disaster should be eligible for fema assistance including undocumented families. it is absolutely the right thing to do. our local communities are increasingly challenged to respond on their own to the disasters of the scale we are seeing. we've been preparing for this year's fire season by investing means of dollars, shoring up additional resources and staffing at our office of emergency management survey that can support our local tribal partners. however, we still have a number of concerns. it includes what will be available wildfire non- fire federal resources. we don't as we entered this wildfire season, our eastern counterparts are preparing for a very difficult hurricane season so we may not be able to rely on other regions to help out this year and with that in mind, i want to say thank you for approving our cost share adjustment related to our 2020 labor day wildfires at 1001 100%, tweeting for the same as of 19 and the same as what happened in louisiana for their hurricane recovery efforts. i would also ask that federal individual assistance be approved

but fema is down there taking a look at what's needed and including everything from if the rest of the buildings have to be evacuated, founding housing and making sure they have the capacity to have a place to shelter and food to eat. that is under way now. and my chief of staff has been deeply involved in this from the very beginning and the cabinet involved in it now dealing with fema and working on it and i made it clear, i say to the people of florida, whatever help you want and the federal government can provide, we are waiting, just ask us, we will be there. we will be there. reporter: what do you say about the vice president going to the border tomorrow? [ [indiscernible conversation] >> we have already begun the process. those who helped us are not going to be left behind. i don't know that, i will be meeting with -- and coming to my office but they are will commed here just like anyone here who has risked their lives c-span.

risks while fighting this pandemic, oakland's covid housing program is partially funded through fema mayor says she's hoping more flexible local funding so buildings like this one can be purchased and operated permanently to help ease the homeless crisis. the ceo of colonial pipeline says he had the public interest in mind when he paid more than $4 million in ransom. cybercriminals joseph blunt told lawmakers on capitol hill yesterday that he had to if he

but fema is down there taking a look at what's needed and including everything from if the rest of the buildings have to be evacuated, founding housing and making sure they have the capacity to have a place to shelter and food to eat. that is under way now. and my chief of staff has been deeply involved in this from the very beginning and the cabinet involved in it now dealing with fema and working on it and i made it clear, i say to the people of florida, whatever help you want and the federal government can provide, we are waiting, just ask us, we will be there. we will be there. reporter: what do you say about the vice president going to the border tomorrow? [ [indiscernible conversation] >> we have already begun the process. those who helped us are not going to be left behind. i don't know that, i will be meeting with -- and coming to my office but they are will commed here just like anyone here who has risked their lives to help us. [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2021] captioning performed by the national captioning institute, which is responsible for its capti

we are also getting word about fema. fema did approve, wolf, the emergency declaration for this building collapse that was requested by the state of florida. that means that federal-emergency funds and assistance will be coming here to the state of florida. but as i said, it's a very active scene. you can -- smoke is quite thick in this air. they have had a very difficult day here but they are not giving up. four confirmed dead. dozens, still, unaccounted for. and they are carrying, in this florida heat. the rescue teams are carrying 80 pounds of gear. they are refusing to leave that rubble pile. determined to find survivors, wolf. >> reporter: tonight, the desperate search-and-rescue operation is intensifying. a race to find survivors in the rubble from the partially-collapsed building in surfside, florida. search-and-rescue teams not stopping for a moment. >> these are the best-first responders in the world. these are the ones that are sent to trouble spots. they have been to 9/11. they've been to haiti. that they've b

and he did overnight authorize emergency assistance through fema. and so what that means is teams on ground, it means direct cash, financial assistance over the longer term, it will mean loan assistance and all sorts of logistical help that fema could help coordinate through state and local authorities. and we also expect for the president to speak on this later today. he's going to be meeting with the afghan president at the oval office. we expect to see him before cameras and you could expect him either at that moment or separately to address this tragedy. and of course, the expression of grief and empathy is something that joe biden is very familiar with and something that he is displayed throughout the tragedies that he's suffered in his life and that he has experienced as a public official on behalf of constituents, so yes, we'll hear from him later today. >> john harwood, thanks so much. we'll bring you the comments as they happen. stay with cnn as we follow this breaking news. this sad news. near miami. at least four deaths now confirmed, of

if they would like to relocate, fema will help them with those arrangements. i know the county is taking this very seriously. i know a team is now in from washington, from an agency under the department of commerce, that specializes in massive catastrophic failures. they're going to identify what kind of things need to be preserved for a full-scale investigation. i have little doubt we will know why this happened and be able to make changes to building codes to prevent it from happening again. right now 99% of the focus is on try to find any survivors and give these families closure on this terrible tragedy, even as already thoughts are coming into place, why this happened and so that it never happens again. >> dickerson: you sponsored a very different piece of legislation called "built to last," which is to have more climate-resistant infrastructure, and that's different from what happened here, but in south florida, people worry about the rising is sea levels, the air, the salt -- do have you questions about the environmental impact and whether that is a lar

so fema in our midst is a common occurrence. but what we're talking about here, as i said before, is an unprecedented tragedy. an unprecedented crisis. and one that is incomparable anywhere in the u.s. before now. so making sure that we inject and infuse humanity, rather than bureaucracy throughout our response is so incredibly critical. so administrative kriswell was talking with us today, and really was, she stressed that it was really important and wonderful for the mayor and other officials here to give the families an opportunity to come closer tom rubble pile. to grieve. >> there own way. to get some solace out of the closeness and the proximity to their loved one, to really hold on to hope or perhaps begin to face the enormous of the crisis that we're dealing with here. to see up close the tons that have been burrowed. and aid chance to talk with the teams. i went and spoke with the mexican search and rescue team. they are obviously, we wish we all weren't here but they were very glad to be able to be here, to do everythi

as you know fema, food and agency food program, provides federal funds. i have recently been on an airplane in mcgowen, texas in which migrants were flown, these were migrants we picked up the night before, and it's my understanding fema is supporting the cost of these migrants, is that true? >> we brought fema from different agencies to address the security of the border. it reflects our commitment to achieving that security. it is part of our strategy, and we are executing on that strategy. we have taken fema personnel to the department of health and human services as well, personnel from u.s. citizen and immigration services to address the needs of unaccompanied children. it's what you and i spoke of at the last hearing, and i think the progress that -- extraordinary progress that we made with respect to that mission set speaks precisely to what i communicated to you in march, which is we have a strategy, are executing our strategy -- >> my time has expired. i want to be respectful of the chairman, so i'll take your answer as a yes, that fema has been

also, of course, fema is here. unlike other disaster situations, in this situation, all victims that have been impacted by this are going to be registered through the family center that's located here. they will then be traveled towards fema to determine eligibility and what services they are eligible for from the federal government. in addition, additional federal resources may be made available as requested by the county, whether it's the army corps of engineers or other elements of the department of defense. and i also want to thank the corporate community that has stood up. i know for example that uber has been transporting many of these families as they arrive from overseas free of cost and we thank them for that. a number of hotels have pprovidd housing accommodations for them. and i want to thank people all across the world, as the mayor mentioned and others have mentioned, we have offers of support and help, concrete help from countries throughout latin america, israel as well and we are grateful for those

we sent the best people from fema down there. we're going to stay with them, with the disaster declaration we made, provide for everything from housing to, god forbid, whether there's a need for m mo moratoria for the bodies to be placed. i just want to say, and i'm sure i speak for all the members of the congress here today and all the survivors here that it's a tough, tough time. there's so many people waiting. are they alive? will they be -- what will happen? so, our heart goes out to them, and the people of florida, i want to -- i've spoken to debbie w wasserman schultz, and i promise you the administration, the congress are doing everything to be of assistance now and after this occurs. after they decide exactly what the state of play is. but i'm glad to welcome everyone here to the adjunct to the white house here, in-person and virtually. survivors and family members, victims and the path breaking leaders like senator baldwin, just over five years ago, the pulse nightclub, a place of acceptance and joy, became a place of un

we've gotten in touch with fema. they're ready to go. the governor is going to have to, they're down expecting what they think is needed. i'm waiting for the governor to asking to declare an emergency, especially once we learn what might happen with the rest of the building. so, we are on top of it, we are ready to move from the federal resources immediately, immediately. if in fact we're asked for it. but we can't go in and do it, but fema is down there taking a look at what's needed. and including from everything from if the rest of those buildings have to be evacuated as well. finding housing for those people. making sure they have the capacity to both have a place to shelter, food to eat, et cetera. that's under way now. and my chief of staff has been deeply involved in this from the very beginning. we got the cabinet involved in it now in terms of dealing with fema. we're working on it. i made it clear, i say to the people of florida, whatever help you want that the federal government can provide, we're waiting, just ask us, we'll b

the head of the local fema task force. he says the miami-dade group is well equipped and very well trained but admits they're fighting against time and the instability of that structure. >> this is dangerous stuff. i want to tell you right now, they're taking risks. so you want to calculate what the risk versus reward is and, you know, you want to spend the time and you don't have much to try and figure out where people are. >> the bay area chief says the first 24 hours are critical. after that time it will be hard to find people alive. >>> nightly news is on top of this breaking news story. lester holt will be anchoring from florida tonight. we'll take a hard look at what could have caused this tragedy. full coverage at 6:30. >>> they say they have a deal that could reshape and restore our infrastructure and create jobs. president biden and senate negotiators could pave the way for passage of a massive nationwide infrastructure plan. it's a rare bipartisan agreement reached by a team of 5 republicans and 5 democrats. alli

coast guard, secret service, tsa, cisa, fema, cpb, and ice. it is good to know that you have very capable leaders and people in the components working to keep our country safe. i wish we could have discussed the budget proposal, but we covered a lot of ground in our earlier hearings. mr. secretary, though, there are difficult issues that this administration needs to address. about the security at our borders and our infrastructure and how our laws are upheld. as the secretary, we are looking to you to provide answers. i fear we are at a crisis point. border apprehensions are at an all-time high. budd, eyes apprehensions are at an all-time low. -- but, eyes apprehensions are at an all-time low. i have been to the southwest border this year, as well as in the past, to speak with agents and officers on the front lines. we have hundreds of youth coming through an airport in chattanooga on their way to facilities across the region. what we are seeing today is not sustainable. i'm not seeing any actions from the administration that progress is being

as i said, fema is on the way. the first individual came in about 3:00 a.m. this morning. that is our state regional coordinator, paul williams. he is going to be followed by about 15 additional personnel from fema throughout the day, and then we also have additional staff from the florida division of emergency management coming in throughout the day as well today. i'd be remiss if i didn't say the entire team that works in tallahassee is activated the men and women are ready to support as needed and again, as we've always said at these disasters fema helps federally support a disaster. the state helps manage the disaster but everything is executed at a local level so again, federally supported state managed locally executed and that's what we are teaming up here with miami-dade county to make sure that that happens. thank you very much. >> thank you, mr. guthrie. next speaker we'll have mr. ryan logan give important information regarding the red cross. >> good morning. i'm ryan logan. i'm the regional disaster officer for the american red cross in south florida and we lik

however, once fema identified an error, it forces these survivors into a bureaucratic nightmare. to appeal the debt that they now owe as a as a result of the agency's error. i'm not surprised that this still goes on. but i'm disappointed that given the technology and data we have at our fingertips we have not been able to improve this system for survivors, especially considering that this program is just a small piece of the federal disaster recovery apparatus. h.r. 539 would waive survivors' debts owed to the federal government in instances where fema erroneously distributed assistance. this bill would also provide a similar waiver to disaster survivors who may be involved in a legal action against a party deemed responsible for a disaster event. while this scenario is less common, it played out in california last year and jeopardized disaster relief for tens of thousands of families displaced by the unprecedented wildfires of the last few years. survivors have already been traumatized by disaster. the federal government should not force them to endure a convoluted process to co

was able to speak to the fema director last night. she's been great. wants to be helpful and then i just spoke about an hour ago with president biden and he reiterated his administration's full support. they're all in and so we really appreciate having the support of the president and the people of florida really appreciate the president and his administration stepping up to help people who are in need. we're fortunate about these relief efforts on the private sector. i just spoke with one of our great companies here in florida, lennar homes and their ceo stewart miller. they're doing $1 million for the relief efforts. and we have people from all across the country that are donating money to be able to help for both, we have the one at and then you also have the one here for the surfside relief fund. both of those are great. we're going to be supporting both of them with some of our stuff and i would urge people to help out with that. we are working very closely with mayor cava in addition to working with the federal government. as needs arise the stat

fema says applying takes about 20 minutes. first you speak with a person who opens your application. then you send fema paperwork like a death certificate or other documents showing covid-19 was the cause of death. plus proof you or a life insurance policy paid funeral expenses. you can upload, fax or mail in your paperwork. after verification, approved families will receive a check or direct deposit. >>> live look at the golden gate toll plaza where a piece of faulty equipment has been overcharging drivers for months. the bridge district says some 32,000 drivers are affected, some people who drove through the lane with the broken equipment were charged $23 instead of just $8. they are being calculated but it's worth checking your fasttrac bill. >>> the water is heating up for night four of swimming olympic trials. katie ledecky has her final race in the 200 meters. she already secured a spot on team usa and ryan murphy from cal won the 100 meter backstroke. murphy won gold for that event in rio, going for another one and won

fema says applying takes about 20 minutes. first you speak with a person who opens your application. then you send fema paperwork like a death certificate or other documents showing covid-19 was the cause of death. plus proof you or a life insurance policy paid funeral expenses. you can upload, fax or mail in your paperwork. after verification, approved families will receive a check or direct deposit. >> good afternoon, chris, thank you. >>> next up, a look at top stories, all new worries over a covid variant coming just one day after california reopens. experts break down how worried we should be about ripping off our masks. >>> plus -- >> it's hot, only getting hotter but before you turn the ac up, the warning and the measures you could be asked to put in place, plus the fire dangers with the heat wave ahead. you're watching "today in the bay." >>> right now at 6:30, dangerous and excessive heat. right now the bay area is bracing for big changes in the forecast as temperatures are set to climb fast into the triple digits in

i do understand that there was a change in the fema or understanding of the fema reimburse. if this was a priority, which i believe it should have been, that there could have been funds available for it. so then, to be clear about it, the actual removal and -- are there -- i mean when we put bathrooms out there and take them away, what does that look like in terms of process? one of the things i'm concerned about is that in our city, we have so many ways that neighbors have to be notified. if you want to change a sidewalk or your garage, but yet something like this, you have people relying on them for really fundamental human needs, they may disappear from people who are relying on them and then they have nowhere else to go. that can create a lot of problems and hygiene and health and cleanliness, et cetera. it's fine if the answer is no. i know we haven't set this as a policy, but how do you think about that in terms of the impact to people when you pull something away, how do you do that in a way that is sort of respecting the fact that people may be relying on it? >> yeah

i do understand that there was a change in the fema or understanding of the fema reimburse. if this was a priority, which i believe it should have been, that there could have been funds available for it. so then, to be clear about it, the actual removal and -- are there -- i mean when we put bathrooms out there and take them away, what does that look like in terms of process? one of the things i'm concerned about is that in our city, we have so many ways that neighbors have to be notified. if you want to change a sidewalk or your garage, but yet something like this, you have people relying on them for really fundamental human needs, they may disappear from people who are relying on them and then they have nowhere else to go. that can create a lot of problems and hygiene and health and cleanliness, et cetera. it's fine if the answer is no. i know we haven't set this as a policy, but how do you think about that in terms of the impact to people when you pull something away, how do you do that in a way that is sort of respecting the fact that people may be relying on it? >> yeah

fema was in the room at the exact same time. the informal communication of that request happened in minutes, so that request was sent up and mobilized and we have followed up with the necessary paperwork. so, again, i think it's important for everyone to understand that as soon as mayor cava, chief kaminski, director ramirez need resources, we're working with the lieutenant governor, mayor, there is no daylight between either one of those. so i think that's important for everyone to know. i would say that we also are mobilizing today a florida bus to help people get i.d. cards for those that have been displaced. they need i.d. cards and drivers licenses and things of that nature. that bus will be deployed today and should be here on site tomorrow. thank you. >> thank you, director. and now the surfside mayor, charles burkett. >> i just have a handful of things i want to share with you. first, this morning i was at the site and i observed hundreds of search and rescue people actively using their hands, digging out and doing what