Leroy N. Soetoro
2020-10-16 18:02:40 UTC
https://www.sacbee.com/news/california/fires/article246488945.html
The federal government has rejected Californias request for financial
help with a series of wildfires that began in early August, including the
devastating Creek Fire in rural Fresno and Madera counties and a Southern
California fire started by an explosion at a gender reveal party.
Brian Ferguson, a spokesman for the Governors Office of Emergency
Services, told The Sacramento Bee on Thursday that the state learned late
Wednesday that it had been turned down for a major presidential disaster
declaration in connection with the Creek Fire and five others.
Ferguson said he didnt know the reason for the denial, which could leave
the state struggling to cope with the costs of dealing with the worst fire
season in California history. Federal aid can run into hundreds of
millions of dollars, depending on the scope of the disaster.
In his letter to President Donald Trump seeking the disaster declaration,
Gov. Gavin Newsom estimated potential federal assistance at $346 million
including $200 million from the Creek Fire alone.
Spokesmen for FEMA, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, werent
immediately available for comment. In the past, Trump has occasionally
threatened to withhold wildfire assistance from California, saying the
state hasnt done enough to manage its forests. The threats belie the fact
that the federal government controls 57% of Californias forested lands.
Ferguson said California officials will appeal the decision and believe
they have a strong case. These FEMA appeals can go on for a little
while, he said.
Ferguson noted that Trump on Wednesday increased the amount of money
available to California for the rash of fires begun by the mid-August
lightning strikes, saying the federal government will now pick up 100% of
the cost of debris removal. Also, Trump just expanded the mid-August
disaster declaration to include Lassen County, which has been damaged by
the North Complex fires.
OUR IMMEDIATE CONCERN IS TO FIND OTHER AVENUES
For now, though, the federal government wont help California with the
Creek Fire, which has burned through 341,722 acres in Fresno and Madera
counties, and five others that began in early September. The others
include the Bobcat Fire, which has destroyed 115,796 acres in northeast
Los Angeles County; and the El Dorado Fire in San Bernardino County.
Officials say the El Dorado started when a pyrotechnic device went off at
a gender reveal party. The fire has destroyed more than 22,000 acres.
In the meantime, Ferguson said the state can seek federal aid through
other programs besides a presidential disaster declaration. Our immediate
concern is to find other avenues and programs to apply to get support, he
said.
The other fires that lit in early September were the Valley Fire in San
Diego County; the Oak Fire in Mendocino County; and the Slater Fire in
Siskiyou County.
Ferguson noted that the administration sometimes reverses itself. FEMA
initially turned down Californias request for $300 million worth of
repairs to Oroville Dam after the 2017 spillway emergency, but later
relented.
But some officials are complaining that California cant wait. Assemblyman
Jim Patterson, R-Fresno, sent a letter to Cal OES on Thursday asking for
immediate help for homeowners with cleanup costs after the Creek Fire.
While I understand the preference of Cal OES to wait for FEMA funds ...
there is no more time to waste, Patterson wrote in his letter to OES
director Mark Ghilarducci. Rain and snow are imminent, as are the
resulting mudslides into our watersheds. We must act now to prevent
harmful hazardous waste and bulk asbestos from threatening public health
and the environment.
--
No collusion - Special Counsel Robert Swan Mueller III, March 2019.
Donald J. Trump, 304 electoral votes to 227, defeated compulsive liar in
denial Hillary Rodham Clinton on December 19th, 2016. The clown car
parade of the democrat party ran out of gas and got run over by a Trump
truck.
Congratulations President Trump. Thank you for cleaning up the disaster
of the Obama presidency.
Under Barack Obama's leadership, the United States of America became the
The World According To Garp. Obama sold out heterosexuals for Hollywood
queer liberal democrat donors.
President Trump has boosted the economy, reduced illegal immigration,
appointed dozens of judges and created jobs.
Senile loser and NAMBLA supporter Nancy Pelosi got "Trumped" on February
5, 2020. "President Trump, Not Guilty."
The federal government has rejected Californias request for financial
help with a series of wildfires that began in early August, including the
devastating Creek Fire in rural Fresno and Madera counties and a Southern
California fire started by an explosion at a gender reveal party.
Brian Ferguson, a spokesman for the Governors Office of Emergency
Services, told The Sacramento Bee on Thursday that the state learned late
Wednesday that it had been turned down for a major presidential disaster
declaration in connection with the Creek Fire and five others.
Ferguson said he didnt know the reason for the denial, which could leave
the state struggling to cope with the costs of dealing with the worst fire
season in California history. Federal aid can run into hundreds of
millions of dollars, depending on the scope of the disaster.
In his letter to President Donald Trump seeking the disaster declaration,
Gov. Gavin Newsom estimated potential federal assistance at $346 million
including $200 million from the Creek Fire alone.
Spokesmen for FEMA, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, werent
immediately available for comment. In the past, Trump has occasionally
threatened to withhold wildfire assistance from California, saying the
state hasnt done enough to manage its forests. The threats belie the fact
that the federal government controls 57% of Californias forested lands.
Ferguson said California officials will appeal the decision and believe
they have a strong case. These FEMA appeals can go on for a little
while, he said.
Ferguson noted that Trump on Wednesday increased the amount of money
available to California for the rash of fires begun by the mid-August
lightning strikes, saying the federal government will now pick up 100% of
the cost of debris removal. Also, Trump just expanded the mid-August
disaster declaration to include Lassen County, which has been damaged by
the North Complex fires.
OUR IMMEDIATE CONCERN IS TO FIND OTHER AVENUES
For now, though, the federal government wont help California with the
Creek Fire, which has burned through 341,722 acres in Fresno and Madera
counties, and five others that began in early September. The others
include the Bobcat Fire, which has destroyed 115,796 acres in northeast
Los Angeles County; and the El Dorado Fire in San Bernardino County.
Officials say the El Dorado started when a pyrotechnic device went off at
a gender reveal party. The fire has destroyed more than 22,000 acres.
In the meantime, Ferguson said the state can seek federal aid through
other programs besides a presidential disaster declaration. Our immediate
concern is to find other avenues and programs to apply to get support, he
said.
The other fires that lit in early September were the Valley Fire in San
Diego County; the Oak Fire in Mendocino County; and the Slater Fire in
Siskiyou County.
Ferguson noted that the administration sometimes reverses itself. FEMA
initially turned down Californias request for $300 million worth of
repairs to Oroville Dam after the 2017 spillway emergency, but later
relented.
But some officials are complaining that California cant wait. Assemblyman
Jim Patterson, R-Fresno, sent a letter to Cal OES on Thursday asking for
immediate help for homeowners with cleanup costs after the Creek Fire.
While I understand the preference of Cal OES to wait for FEMA funds ...
there is no more time to waste, Patterson wrote in his letter to OES
director Mark Ghilarducci. Rain and snow are imminent, as are the
resulting mudslides into our watersheds. We must act now to prevent
harmful hazardous waste and bulk asbestos from threatening public health
and the environment.
--
No collusion - Special Counsel Robert Swan Mueller III, March 2019.
Donald J. Trump, 304 electoral votes to 227, defeated compulsive liar in
denial Hillary Rodham Clinton on December 19th, 2016. The clown car
parade of the democrat party ran out of gas and got run over by a Trump
truck.
Congratulations President Trump. Thank you for cleaning up the disaster
of the Obama presidency.
Under Barack Obama's leadership, the United States of America became the
The World According To Garp. Obama sold out heterosexuals for Hollywood
queer liberal democrat donors.
President Trump has boosted the economy, reduced illegal immigration,
appointed dozens of judges and created jobs.
Senile loser and NAMBLA supporter Nancy Pelosi got "Trumped" on February
5, 2020. "President Trump, Not Guilty."