FEMA director defends use of Air Force One for cross-country flight amid climate concerns

Haisten Willis

January 19, 02:14 PM January 19, 02:14 PM

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FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell on Thursday defended the use of Air Force One for a cross-country flight amid climate change concerns, saying the visit lets storm-damaged California communities “know that the president is here to support them.”

President Joe Biden departed Washington for a nearly six-hour flight to Santa Clara County, California, Thursday morning, where he’s scheduled to tour damaged areas via helicopter and meet with local residents.

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Criswell took questions from reporters during the flight, and after saying climate change likely made the storms worse, she was asked if taking the flight itself was worth the climate impact.

“If I can follow up on that,” a reporter asked, “is it a good look to travel all the way across the U.S. in a jumbo jet that uses a huge amount of fuel? Is it a useful use of carbon, and what sort of message does it send to the American people when climate change is such a factor in these events?”

Criswell defended the use of the plane, which has a fuel capacity of 53,611 gallons, as necessary to send a message that the “federal family” is behind those affected.

“There’s just been so much trauma to this community, and it’s really important that we keep that in mind,” she said. “These communities have had loss of life, loss of their well-being and their livelihood, and I think it’s incredibly important that they know that the president is here to support them.”

More than 500 FEMA and other federal personnel have been sent to the area to support recovery efforts. High surf, high winds, and rain devastated the beach towns of Capitola Village and Seacliff State Beach.

Earlier in the press gaggle, Criswell had been asked if climate change meant that such storms would become the new normal.

“I’m not the weather scientist here, but what I can say is they are just happening more often,” she said. “We’ve never seen nine atmospheric rivers in a period of just a few weeks like this, and so we have to be prepared for this increase in the number of weather events and severe weather events that we’re seeing.”

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Biden will be accompanied by Gov. Gavin Newsom for portions of his tour.

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