i'm margaret brennan in washington and this week on "face the nation," as we begin what's now day six of the catastrophic fires in southern california. the situation is still extremely volatile and, therefore, still

very dangerous. the death toll stands at 16 with 150,000 residents under evacuation orders. the long-term impact on californians' health and damage done to the environment are incaluable. it is impossible to tally the costs at this point. the causes for the individual fires are under investigation but scientists say there's no question that climate change exacerbated the factors leading to these cataclysmic events. the two big fires, the coastal palisades fire and the inland eaton fires, are still raging, and the national weather service has cited red flag wind warnings in the southern california area through at least wednesday. we begin with the very latest from our jonathan vigliotti. >> reporter: nine states as well

as canada and mexico have mobilized to the bone-dry hills of los angeles battling four active and sprawling wildfires menacing millions of people across the region. the massive palisades fire, the largest in the city, has grown to nearly 25,000 acres, destroying an estimated 75% of pacific palisades. officials say that one-third of the eastern edge of malibu has been destroyed, too. the palisades fire now threatens near by brentwood where evacuation orders have been issued. a brief break in the wind allowed aircraft to gain 11% containment saturday as the region was bombarded with water and flame retardant, but planes were briefly grounded after drones were spotted in the airspace. in altadena, the eaton fire has destroyed more than 14,000 acres and reduced thousands of homes to ash. that fire is now 27% contained. officials say the rash of fires have burned through more than

40,000 acres and more than 12,000 structures have been destroyed, a city under siege. l.a. mayor karen bass is now facing calls to resign from a growing number of people who say the city's response was inadequate. my question to you is what explains this lack of preparation and rapid response? >> when we are safe, when lives have been saved and homes have been saved, we will absolutely do an evaluation. >> reporter: her own fire chief has said budget cuts hampered firefighting efforts. >> we are screaming to be properly funded to make sure that our firefighters can do their jobs. >> reporter: the cause of the fires are still under investigation and the national guard is on scene to prevent looting and enforce a nightly curfew. and red flag warnings are back in effect. wind gusts could exceed 50 miles per hour. meanwhile, officials are preemt lifl cutting power in some neighborhoods to prevent more fires from sparking margaret.

>> jonathan vigliotti reporting from pacific palisades, stay safe and thank you. we turn now to fema administrator deanne criswell. welcome back to "face the nation." >> good morning, margaret. >> these santa ana winds are forecast to continue into the next week, and that could fuel some of the blazes. what is your biggest area of concern right now? >> you know, with these winds coming back and them issuing the red flag warnings, these winds change the dynamics of this fire, and so i'm concerned for the safety of our firefighters, concerned for their ability to continue to contain this fire, and i want people to make sure they are listening closely to what local officials are saying so they can stay safe and they can stay out of harm's way. >> so i know the winds themselves are rare for this particular time of year, but los angeles and the area has a lot of experience, a lot of regulation, and a large

firefighting force. do you have a sense at this point why the area was so unprepared? >> i think that they were very prepared. this is something that they are very used to. they fight fires all the time, but they have never seen 100-mile-an-hour winds that are fueling the fire, and those winds and that weather condition is what really impacts where this fire is going to go, but, more importantly, how they're able to try to contain it in the first few hours and days. and because it was in such a populated area, it just makes it that much more challenging to be able to get in there and secure the perimeter but as well try to save as many homes as possible. >> in t the federal response and the support you're given to local authorities, president biden spoke a few times from the oval office this week, and he did mention the need to move power lines underground. do you know where were the power lines a cause? >> i think that will certainly

be something that will be under investigation, but i think when we think about moving the power lines underground, it's not just from the cause but it's also how do you keep the power on when we have these severe weather incidents. when you underground them, you create a more resilient community, and it can withstand the impacts of all of these different types of storms whether it's fires or hurricanes. and we want to be able to keep these communities energized. >> will that be a requirement for any federal support for the rebuild? >> it's not going to be a requirement for us unless it's part of their local code, and we want to be able to enforce the local codes that they have, and we'll work closely with california and is using this as an opportunity. even if it's not a requirement, is this something they want to be able to do? we have additional ways we can fund that through our programs as they begin the rebuilding. >> the governor has indicated he's looking at a number of executive orders. if local environmental regulations are loosened here in order to help quickly rebuild,

does that concern you at all, and will it make it more complicated for people to obtain insurance, which we already know is quite expensive and hard for many californians to get? >> the insurance piece is a real concern. we've 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 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. >> many of these policies were

already canceled months ago as we've been reporting. so should the government, though, be in the business of stepping in and helping people rebuild if the private market has deemed these areas just too risky? >> 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. we want to do things that can encourage families to rebuild their homes in a way that make them more fire resistant. we have a lot of science and technology out there that shows ways that we can make these homes stronger and more resistant against the fires. that's really where we need to focus our efforts as we move into the rebuilding phase. >> president biden said that 100% of the firefighting costs will be picked up for six months on the federal tab, but there is the separate issue of individual assistance to victims who lost their homes. we checked and congress set the

maximum fema grant level at just short of $44,000. it's very expensive living in california. does that need to be raised? should congress do that? >> so, again, our programs aren't designed to replace insurance. our programs are designed to jump-start the recovery process, and we know that in many areas, not just california, that that is not going to be enough to rebuild a home, which is why insurance is so important. we'll work with other partners, and one of our greatest partners is the small business administration that can do low-interest loans to these families to give them another resource to help rebuild. we'll also work with our nonprofit partners, philanthropic partners, bringing the whole society together so we can work with each family to help them figure out the right tools that they're going to need and the decisions that they're going to have to make as they go down this recovery journey. >> you're describing a really costly enterprise here. i've seen estimates on damages that range from 60 to $130

billion. do you have any ballpark figure at this point? it would seem, according to president biden, that congress is going to have to do more. >> 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 stras 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 developing bloc grant that can help cover some of the things 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. >> well, we appreciate you joining us today to get the message out, administrator criswell. good luck to you. >> thank you. and we turn now to

california democratic congresswoman judy chu. she joins us from the pasadena convention center currently sheltering more than 500 local residents. good morning to you, congresswoman. i know 11 of these reported deaths were in your community. how are you? do you know if the community is out of the danger zone at this point? >> it is not out of the danger zone. we have another santa ana gust of winds that will happen monday or tuesday. they will be around 50 miles per hour. that is less than what caused this whole terrible catastrophe. last week the winds were between 80 to 100 miles per hour. nonetheless, they could spread the fire, and i urge all residents to pay attention to the evacuation warnings and orders and, most of all, to make

sure they are safe. >> well, i understand that there were water pressure issues in the altadena area. there was no local police or fire department. you all rely on the county for that kind of resource. do you think going forward, does this need to change? have you talked to the governor? >> we have been in touch with the governor, but what i want to do is to assure people that there is enough water and, in fact, the fire department agencies have assured me that there is enough, but when the fires first happened, there was a combination of drastic winds and the fire, and, as a result, they were overwhelmed. this is not an ordinary incident. and many fire hydrants were going on at the same time and also the electricity used to

pump the water had been turned off so that there would not spark any more fires, so that happened at that point, but i believe that we're in a good place right now. >> i imagine a lot of the people in that shelter behind you were just wondering when they'll be able to go and see what's left of their neighborhoods. the state of california, as we understand it, put a moratorium thursday on insurers dropping californians from coverage. but it raises these questions, are these communities going to be rebuilt, and should they be rebuilt? >> these communities have to be rebuilt. i have the beautiful areas of altadena and pasadena, and these were vibrant communities, diverse communities with so much historic value behind them.

people love these areas, and we need to make sure that there are the resources possible for them to rebuild their homes as well as the incredible small businesses that are here. so this is why, after i took the tour of the devastated areas with our fema administrator, i decided to arrange for a tour of our california congress members which took place just yesterday so that they could see the devastation for themselves. we need to make sure that congress is ready to provide the help that's needed to rebuild these areas like altadena and pasadena. >> one of your republican colleagues went on fox, congressman warren davidson, and said he'd oppose having an open checkbook approach to a place that no matter how bad your policies are would be crazy, he said. it sounds like he wants strings attached to further aid.

have you talked to republican leadership? have you talked to speaker johnson yet about coming to california? >> we are planning to invite speaker johnson as well as president trump to come to this area and to witness the devastation for themselves. we have already been in touch with republican congress members, and they have expressed that they are very open to coming and seeing what is going on. you know, these wildfires don't have any political affiliation. they don't belong to any political party. this devastation has affected thousands upon thousands of people who just ran out of their homes with nothing in their hands, and are trying to rebuild, and they need help. >> so, in terms of that help, first they have to figure out if their insurance covers anything. then they can go to the federal government for help.

but fema has a grant limit of $44,000. it's congress that set that limit. does that need to be raised? and are you hearing from your constituents that they are getting help, they're able to access these resources? >> well, first of all it i want to say that fema is opening a local assistance center on tuesday, and anybody can walk in or call and get the assistance that they need. actually, there are temporary locations, too, happening even today and tomorrow at the local libraries. fema is also here at this pasadena convention center, and so there are many ways in which people can get help. of course what we are encouraging everybody to do is to sign up on disasterassistance.gov immediately to get the process going. of course they will have to have their insurance information available.

>> and we will see if raising the amount of assistance or what changes to assistance are made in the coming weeks and months. congresswoman chu, thank you, and we wish you and your community the best of luck. >> thank you. >> and if you at home want to help those affected by the wildfires, cbs is partnering with the american red cross which is staffing evacuation centers and providing supplies to people forced out of their homes. to donate go to redcross.org/cbs. and we'll be back in one minute with a lot more "face the nation." talk to your doctor about repatha. repatha plus a statin lowers ldl-c by 63%. do not take repatha if you're allergic to it. serious allergic reactions can occur. get medical help right away if you have trouble breathing or swallowing, swelling of the face, lips, tongue, throat or arms. common side effects include runny nose, sore throat, common cold symptoms,

flu or flu-like symptoms, back pain, high blood sugar, and redness, pain or bruising at the injection site. ask about repatha. on tuesday the senate begins consideration of several of the president-elect's national security nominees. our scott pelley sat down with outgoing fbi director christopher wray for tonight's "60 minutes" and talked to him about the challenges facing the

new national security team. here is a preview of scott's interview and one threat that's been of particular concern to director wray. >> reporter: china's cyber program is, by far and away, the world's largest, bigger than that of every major nation combined and has stole n more o america's corporate data than any nation. even beyond the cyber theft, there's another part of the chinese cyber threat that i think has not gotten the attention publicly that i think it desperately deserves, and that is chinese government's pre-positioning on american civilian critical infrastructure. to lie in wait on those networks to be in a position to wreak havoc and can inflict real-world harm at a time and place of their choosing. >> the chinese have already insinuated malware into critical

american infrastructure. >> that's correct. >> things like what? >> water treatment plants. we're talking about transportation systems. we're talking about targeting of our energy sector, the electric grid, natural gas pipelines. and recently we've seen targeting of our t telecommunications ms is. >> you can see more from scott pelley's interview tonight at 7:00 p.m. eastern. we turn now to the number two republican in the senate, wyoming's john barrasso. he joins us this morning from casper, wyoming. welcome back to "face the nation." >> thank you, margaret. >> there's a busy week ahead in the senate. before i get to that business, i do want to ask you about these fires in california. do you expect that congress will have to provide an additional aid package? and, if so, when? >> well, what we're seeing is heartbreaking. it's horrible.

affecting people old and young, rich and poor, everyone in the wyoming national guard is there on the scene helping with manpower as well as equipment. when you see what's being shown on television, in addition to the tragedy on the ground, you're also seeing gross mismanagement in california by elected officials, and it's heartbreaking to hear the fire chief say that they've diverted all of this money away from the fire department to be used for social programs when they were already stretched too thin. so, yes, i expect there's going to be hearings. there's going to be requests of congress. there can't be a blank check on this, however, because people want to make sure that as rebuilding occurs, as things go on in california, they have to be resilient so that these sorts of things can't happen again and the policies of the liberal administration out there, i believe, have made these fires worse. >> do you expect, though, that congress and republicans will still help these americans in need, even if they don't like

their local politics and the party? >> i expect that there will be strings attached to money that is ultimately approved and it has to do with being ready the next time because this was a gross failure this time. >> senator, let me move on to what's happening this week, because you are the w.h.i.p., the vote counter, watching the hearings for these picks made by donald trump will be like. starting tuesday, 13 of the picks are going to be up for questions. leader thune told us last sunday he expects a lot will get through, but we'll see about all of them. which nominees are you certain will be confirmed by january 20th? >> let's start with we were elected, republicans are now in the house, the senate and the white house, because americans wanted safety and prosperity. so, you're right. the rubber hits the road this week with all of these hearings on the cabinet and then when

president trump takes office next monday there is going to be shock and awe with executive orders, a blizzard of executive orders, on the economy as well as on the border. so when we met with president trump just earlier this past week, what president trump said the number one goal for the senate needs to be to get his team in place. i met with just about all of them. i support every one of these nominees. as the w.h.i.p., my job is to make sure they get across the finish line, get on the job and president trump deserves a team early. chuck schumer said he wants to make fireworks at the hearings. if that happens, we are going to work around the clock, through the night, through weekends to make sure we get that cabinet confirmed. >> well, i want to ask you about some of those picks on the other side of this commercial break and how many of them will sail through since you do have the republican majority and enough votes to do this without democratic help. we'll talk about those specifics in a moment. stay with us through this break.

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coming up in our next half hour, former house speaker newt gingrich, his new project is "journey to america," a pbs documentary profiling several famous immigrants and their contributions to america. like the late diplomat henry kissinger, who fled germ german 1938. >> if i had known it was a dictatorship that was pers persecuting people of my ethnic background. >> we'll talk with the former speaker about that, politics, and get his thoughts on president-elect trump's plans for immigration reform. he power. with wegovy®, i lost 35 pounds. and some lost over 46 pounds.

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welcome back to "face the nation." we return to our conversation now with wyoming republican senator john barrasso.