Bill Richardson Campaign Donates to California Fire Victims

The Democratic presidential campaign of New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson has announced that it intends to make a monetary donation to help victims of the wildfires taking place in California. Meanwhile, Governor Richardson deployed New Mexico fire crews to California as well.

According to a press release issued by Richardson For President on Tuesday, his campaign will provide a donation of ten-thousand dollars to the Red Cross so as to help victims of the fires occurring in southern California. It indicated that Governor Richardson was visiting California Tuesday, and spoke regarding the fires.

Richardson was quoted as expressing his sympathy to individuals and families victimized by the fires, saying that he had offered California the "full assistance" of the state of New Mexico's resources, and urging everyone to make additional donations to the Red Cross. He praised the Red Cross as the "most effective" method for assisting people who have had to leave their homes because of the fires. Mentioning that New Mexico had also been hit by large wildfires in the past and speaking of the difficulty involved in recovering from them, he expressed the hope that Californians should know they are "not alone."

Another press release (PDF format), issued by the office of the Governor of New Mexico on Tuesday, indicated that Richardson had ordered New Mexico fire crews to California so as to assist in fighting the wildfires. He was quoted as saying that New Mexico currently has "no major fires", thus explaining that it has extra crews available, and referred to the fires in California as "unprecedented."

The crews are to remain in California for two weeks, and include firefighters from nine cities and counties. Two teams were sent, with each team including twenty-one members and five fire engines. They are to arrive in the city of Chino, and were expected to leave Albuquerque (New Mexico's largest city) by Tuesday night. Wikipedia.org indicates that Chino is located in San Bernardino county, which is in the southeastern part of California.

According to the official Governor of California web site, President Bush has declared a State of Emergency in California. It also indicates that Governor Schwarzenegger has sent a letter requesting various types of assistance directly from the federal government. The letter asked for assistance in seven counties. He stated that the emergency declaration would help the citizens of California gain necessary assistance, expressing thanks for it.

Sources:

1. Richardson For President, http://www.richardsonforpresident.com/newsroom/pressreleases?id=0332
2. Governor of New Mexico,
http://www.governor.state.nm.us/press/2007/oct/102307_01.pdf
3. Governor of California,
http://gov.ca.gov/index.php?/press-release/7810/
4. Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chino%2C_California