FEMA administrator on California wildfires

(CBS, KYMA/KECY) - FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell spoke with Margaret Brennan on Face the Nation Sunday about the California wildfires.

Brennan and Criswell talked about insurance polices being canceled in California for wildfire relief, with Brennan asking Criswell if that concerns her at all, and if it will make it more complicated for those to obtain insurance.

"You know, the insurance piece is a real concern. We've, you know, heard the stories of so many people that have lost their insurance prior to this event, and that's the number one resource that families have to help with their rebuilding process. And so what I think we want to be able to do is we want to be able to work with the governor's team to rebuild in a way that makes communities more resilient, that keeps insurance companies there, right, that we rebuild in a way that makes them stronger, and reducing the impact so they want to stay in these communities, and they don't have to to lose the insurance carriers. We have to be able to work together with the insurance industry to help find ways to keep this really valuable resource in place for so many families."

Deanne Criswell, FEMA Administrator

Brennan also said that the policies were canceled prior to the wildfires, prompting her to ask Criswell if the government should step in and help people rebuild "if the private market has deemed these areas just too risky," to which Criswell said:

"You know, our programs really help jump start the recovery process, but without insurance, families are going to have to find other means to be able to rebuild. But again, it's not necessarily just where you rebuild, it's going to be how. And we want to be able to do things that can encourage families to rebuild their homes in a way that make them more fire resistant. You know, we have a lot of science and technology out there that shows ways that we can make these homes stronger and more resistant against these fires. That's really where we need to focus our efforts as we move into the rebuilding phase."

During the interview, Brennan and Criswell talked about the cost of the damage so far, with Brennan saying the damages range from $60 million to $130 million, which Brennan then asked Criswell if she has a "ballpark figure" at this point, and Criswell said:

"Yeah, I don't have any good estimates right now, and I think it's important to remember that these fires are still burning, which means damage is still happening. But the cost for this disaster, both from just the physical infrastructure, but also the economic losses, they're going to be significant. There's going to be other programs that congress can work through, like HUD's Community Development Block Grant for Disaster program, that can also help cover some of the things that FEMA's programs don't cover, or other parts of the insurance industry. There's a wide variety of different tools and resources that can be used that need to be authorized by Congress to really help this community on this road to recovery."

To watch more of Brennan's interview with Criswell, click here.