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The declaration potentially unlocks Federal Emergency Management Agency resources to impacted Oregon communities.
Salem, OR – On Monday, Governor Tina Kotek sent a letter to President Joe Biden requesting a federal major disaster declaration pursuant to the Robert T. Stafford Act on behalf of the State of Oregon. The request follows one of the most devastating wildfire seasons in Oregon history. If approved, it would provide supplemental grants through the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) Public Assistance Program for state, tribal, local governments, and certain private nonprofits for costs incurred for responding and recovering from wildfires between July 10 and September 7, 2024.
“I am asking President Biden and the federal government to provide relief to the rural Oregon communities who weathered an unprecedented, destructive wildfire season,” Governor Kotek said. “Despite the scale and persistence of the wildfires, our fire and emergency teams put their lives on the line –with little rest– to protect Oregonians and what they hold dear. Our rural communities are still in profound crisis as a result of this season, and I am resolved to secure the federal assistance needed for Oregon to recover and rebuild.”
The request applies to six Oregon counties – Gilliam, Grant, Jefferson, Umatilla, Wasco, and Wheeler – that experienced significant damage and destruction to utility poles and lines, resulting in power, communication, and internet outages; disruptions to travel and the ability to conduct emergency responses; and mass sheltering needs for medically fragile, older adults and isolated persons without power.
The governor also requested that the president waive the state’s share of the cost for emergency work in response to the disaster. The rural counties impacted by the wildfires have limited resources to support the standard share of the cost and the magnitude of state resources deployed across Oregon means state funding is insufficient to reimburse these communities.
On July 12, Governor Kotek declared a State of Emergency in response to the threat of wildfire. Throughout the season, she invoked the Emergency Conflagration Act a record 17 times to mobilize structural firefighting resources from the Oregon State Fire Marshal (OSFM) to local communities, and Oregon Department of Forestry (ODF) mobilized thousands of wildland firefighting personnel.
A record 1.9 million acres burned this wildfire season, overwhelming the state’s 10-year average of 640,000 acres per season. Fires destroyed at least 42 homes and 132 other structures and caused severe disruptions to transportation, utility infrastructure, and social services. Ranchers in Eastern Oregon lost access to critical resources for their livestock, leading to long-term challenges in restoring the land and significant lost business revenue.
The federal government typically takes approximately six weeks after submission of a federal major disaster declaration request to respond.