Response and Resources
"My family and I have come many, many times to the Santa Barbara area. We think it’s the most beautiful area. But the area we walked around today looked like hell". (Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, November 15, 2008)
California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger declared a state of emergency for Santa Barbara County due to the Tea Fire. Schwarzenegger issued a statement that he was "making all state resources available to the fire commanders and was requesting assistance from the federal government as well."
On November 14, 2008, 1,141 personnel were on the scene, including 260 from CalFire, and 25 fire crews. They were supported by 193 engines, 7 dozers, and 1 watertender. Resources were expanded on November 15 to include 2,235 firefighters and 9 helicopters with cost estimates of $3.5 million, which increased to $3.9 million the following day.
Staffed from 8 a.m. to midnight, a public information call center was established to provide updates and status reports. Information was made available on the County Government-access television (GATV) cable TV station, as well as specific AM and FM radios that provided Emergency Public Information. CSBTV Channel 20 ran Live Video Stream.
San Marcos High School in Santa Barbara became an emergency shelter, operated by the American Red Cross, Santa Barbara County Chapter. Earl Warren Showgrounds was opened for large animal evacuees, while small animals could be brought to the Santa Barbara Humane Society in Goleta.
Read more about this topic: Montecito Tea Fire
Famous quotes containing the words response and/or resources:
“Because humans are not alone in exhibiting such behavior—bees stockpile royal jelly, birds feather their nests, mice shred paper—it’s possible that a pregnant woman who scrubs her house from floor to ceiling [just before her baby is born] is responding to a biological imperative . . . . Of course there are those who believe that . . . the burst of energy that propels a pregnant woman to clean her house is a perfectly natural response to their mother’s impending visit.”
—Mary Arrigo (20th century)
“The poor tread lightest on the earth. The higher our income, the more resources we control and the more havoc we wreak.”
—Paul Harrison (b. 1936)