Trump approves major disaster declaration for California as fires rage on
The declaration allows federal funds to flow to those communities in northern and southern California that have been decimated by ongoing fires.
Trump approves major disaster declaration for California as fires rage on The declaration allows federal funds to flow to those communities in northern and southern California that have been decimated by ongoing fires. Check out this story on redding.com: https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/2018/11/13/california-fire-trump-approves-major-disaster-declaration/1987746002/
Marco della Cava, USA TODAY Published 9:12 a.m. PT Nov. 13, 2018 | Updated 9:48 a.m. PT Nov. 13, 2018
Firefighters continue to work around the clock battling the Camp Fire blaze near Butte Valley, Calif., Monday, Nov. 12, 2018. (Photo: SCOTT CLAUSE, USA TODAY Network)
SAN FRANCISCO – After generating a storm of controversy with a tweet threatening to withhold federal funding to fire-ravaged California, President Donald Trump said he has approved a Major Disaster Declaration for the state.
In a Monday night tweet, Trump said he approved an expedited request for the declaration, which followed a state of emergency declaration on Nov. 8. Fires continue to burn throughout the state and so far have killed more than 40 people and burned more that 6,000 structures and around 200,000 acres.
"Wanted to respond quickly in order to alleviate some of the incredible suffering going on," Trump wrote on Twitter. "I am with you all the way. God Bless all of the victims and families affected."
Over the weekend, Trump angered Democratic (and even some Republican) lawmakers after tweeting that the state's poor forest management was to blame for the apocalyptic Camp Fire north of Sacramento and Woolsey Fire near Malibu.
More: California politicians take Trump to task for threatening to withhold federal fire funds
More: 'Unprecedented' Camp Fire's death toll hits record 42 and likely to rise
The state's leading fire official also denounced the tweet, noting that forest management issues played no roles in these two particular conflagrations.
A Major Disaster Declaration provides funds to affected communities for a wide range of support. This includes crisis counseling, housing and unemployment assistance and legal services, according to the office of California Gov. Jerry Brown.
Araya Cipollini, 19, holds on to her dog T.J. near the burned out remnants of her neighbor's home burned in the Camp Fire, Saturday, Nov. 10, 2018, in Paradise, Calif. Cipollini and her family lost their home nearby in the fire. (Photo: John Locher, AP)
The declaration also provides public assistance to help state, tribal and local governments with ongoing emergency response and recovery, including the repair and replacement of disaster-damaged facilities and infrastructure, including roads, bridges and utilities.
Also covered is hazard mitigation, which helps state and local governments reduce the risks and impacts of future disasters.
Trump's previous criticism focused on what he considered poor forestry practices that often can create the dry timber fuel for wildfires.
California Professional Firefighters President Brian Rice responded to Trump's weekend criticism by pointing out that often wildfires don't always start in forests and in many cases, as is the case with the fires in southern California, spark in populated areas and fields with "parched vegetation," he wrote.
And much of California's forests are under federal control, not the state's, Rice's statement said.
Calling Trump's comments "shameful" and an attack on "all the courageous men and women on the front lines," Rice added that "nearly 60 percent of California forests are under federal management, and another two-thirds under private control. It is the federal government that has chosen to divert resources away from forest management, not California."
In a recent meeting with officials trying to grapple with both California fires, Brown tried to focus on the larger picture, which is the possibility of such conflagrations being the new normal on a planet whose climate is steadily heating up.
"We have a real challenge here, threatening our whole way of life," Brown said. "It is a time of sadness, but also one to reflect on where we are and resolve to pull together and do everything we can to help those in need."
Those affected by the wildfires wanting to know more about federal funding eligibility can visit www.DisasterAssistance.gov or call officials at the Federal Emergency Management Agency at 800-621-FEMA (3362).
Current details related to this Major Disaster Declaration can also be found on FEMA's website at www.fema.gov/disaster/4407.
Fires burn toward homes on, Nov. 9, 2018, as seen from a helicopter over the Calabasas section of Los Angeles. Flames driven by powerful winds torched dozens of hillside homes in Southern California, burning parts of tony Calabasas and mansions in Malibu and forcing tens of thousands of people — including some celebrities — to flee as the fire marched across the Santa Monica Mountains toward the sea. (Photo: Mark J. Terrill/AP)
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