The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) will reimburse California for the cost of hiring more firefighters and controlling the raging wildfires sweeping Southern California.
News about the Fire Management Assistance Grant trickled in Tuesday, and by the evening the White House confirmed the move with a statement from President Biden. FEMA acknowledged the action Wednesday in an announcement that provided details about the grant.
The funding will help the state cover the largest amount of “qualified firefighting costs” as California ramps up its firefighting capacity to extinguish wildfires that have killed at least two people and displaced thousands. 75% will be reimbursed to the federal government. Eligible costs include costs for field camps, equipment, materials, supplies, and mobilization or demobilization efforts resulting from firefighting operations.
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An image of the FEMA logo and California firefighters battling raging wildfires in the southern part of the state. (AP/Getty)
Biden announced the grant news on Tuesday, saying, “My administration will do everything we can to support the response.” “I am frequently briefed on the wildfires in West Los Angeles. My team and I are in contact with state and local officials to provide any federal assistance needed to contain the horrific Pacific Palisades fires. ”
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California's firefighter shortage has been an ongoing problem in California for several years. Prior to the news about the FEMA grant, the Los Angeles Fire Department was forced to ask all off-duty firefighters in the area to volunteer their time. The U.S. Forest Service increased staffing levels in California this summer for the first time in five years, but the total number of federal wildland firefighters is lower than ever before, even as the number and severity of wildfires in the state has increased. remains significantly reduced. According to San Francisco Chronicle.
Firefighters in California are battling a blaze that started Tuesday morning and continued into Wednesday with little sign of slowing down as thousands of people were evacuated.
Meanwhile, the U.S. Forest Service announced in October that it would suspend prescribed burning to suppress wildfires, citing a staffing shortage.
California's decision to eliminate prescribed burning follows Biden's opposition to a bipartisan bill aimed at streamlining the process for implementing forest management projects in California. It was after receiving it. In a September statement explaining its opposition to the bill, the Biden administration said certain provisions serve to undermine important environmental protections.
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A Forest Service firefighter receives a prescribed burn on the grounds of the High Desert Museum near Bend, Oregon.
The FEMA grant, designed to strengthen the state's firefighting capacity in the midst of raging wildfires, was launched at the request of the state of California. FEMA noted that at the time of the request, wildfires had burned more than 700 acres of private and public land around the Pacific Palisades, San Fernando Valley, and Santa Carita Valley areas.
FEMA added that more than 45,000 homes in the area are under threat from the fire.
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An agency spokesperson told Fox News Digital that the agency's regional offices are in constant contact with local officials in California and that FEMA liaison officers have been dispatched to the area to monitor the situation. He said he is doing so. The spokesperson added that authorities are urging residents to listen to local authorities and are providing a phone number to text if they need safe shelter.
