Oregon Senators Demand Answers After FEMA Denies Emergency Funding for Major Wildfires
The three approved fires have burned just over 49,000 acres and can receive up to 75% of firefighting costs, officials said.
- On Wednesday, Governor Tina Kotek announced FEMA approved federal aid for three Oregon wildfires while denying assistance for the East Evans Creek Fire and Rowe Creek Fire Complex.
- Oregon faces its worst wildfire situation in the nation, with 86 active fires burning over 1 million acres as of July 27, forcing more than 33,000 residents under evacuation and disrupting water, power, and 911 capabilities.
- Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley demanded "urgent answers" from FEMA Acting Administrator Robert Fenton, arguing the denials mark a "significant departure" from historical agency criteria and federal regulation.
- Both denied fires surpassed FEMA's threshold of 150 threatened primary residences and Level 3 evacuation status, with the Rowe Creek Fire Complex being the nation's largest fire at application.
- Governor Kotek has 30 days to appeal the denials as the Rowe Creek Fire Complex surpasses 200,000 acres, with senators requesting FEMA response by August 10 on its decision-making criteria.
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Firefighting assistance denied for 2 of state's largest fires
OREGON – As Oregon deals with what will likely be a record-breaking year for wildfires, the state has been dealt another blow. Federal grants for two of the largest fires, the East Evans Creek Fire and the Rowe Complex, were denied, despite hundreds of thousands of acres burned and thousands of Oregonians under some level […] The post Firefighting assistance denied for 2 of state’s largest fires appeared first on KOBI-TV NBC5 / KOTI-TV NBC2.
EXCLUSIVE: Senator Merkley speaks with KTVZ News about Oregon wildfires, FEMA funding, and more
(Update: adding comments from Senator Merkley) BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) -- Three federal grants are helping Oregon cover wildfire costs, but US Senator Jeff Merkley (D-Oregon) says a change in FEMA’s process is leaving other fires without the same help. Across Oregon, more than 1.75 million acres have burned this season, and nearly 5,000 residents are
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