The government headed by Donald Trump
this week
rejected
a
request for disaster aid funds
made by the state of California to remedy the damage of six recent fires, including the
largest in the history of the state
.
The state plans to
appeal
the decision, Brian Ferguson, a spokesman for the governor's Office of Emergency Services, confirmed to Noticias Telemundo.
Ferguson assured by email that "California's application meets federal requirements for approval."
Meanwhile the office "continues to aggressively seek other available avenues for reimbursement and support to help people and communities affected by these fires to rebuild and recover," he added.
[California experiences worst fires in history and breaks record for scorched acres]
California Governor Gavin Newsom, a Democrat, formally submitted a letter to the White House and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) on Sept. 28
calling for a major disaster declaration
, Ferguson said.
He did not explain the reason for the federal government's denial.
A helicopter drops water on Bothe-Napa Valley State Park by the Glass Fires in Calistoga, California, USA, October 3, 2020.REUTERS / Adrees Latif
The final decision was made late Wednesday or early Thursday, the Los Angeles Times reported.
A
larger disaster declaration allows the cost of damage, cleanup, and reconstruction to be shared
between the state and federal governments.
It also activates aid programs run by FEMA.
California did not request a specific dollar amount because damage estimates are not complete.
Although, according to Ferguson, such aid could easily reach
hundreds of millions of dollars
(229 million, according to CNN).
[Cameron Peak Fire becomes largest wildfire in Colorado history]
Disasters include the
Bobcat Fire
in Los Angeles County;
the
El Dorado
fire
in San Bernardino County;
and the
Creek
Fire
, one of the largest still burning in Fresno and Madera counties.
The other three wildfires featured on the application were
Valley
, San Diego County;
the
Oak
, in Mendocino County;
and the
Slater
, in Siskiyou County.
During a visit to the state last month,
the president denied the effects of climate change on the fires
, despite scientific studies showing that it has caused the state to be drier, making its vegetation more flammable.
In all, the fires in California have burned more than 4.1 million acres,
an area larger than the state of Connecticut
.
The flames from the more than 8,500 fires have killed at least 31 people and destroyed more than 9,200 structures so far this year, according to the California Department of Fire Protection.
Meanwhile,
thousands of people in the north of the state remain without power this Friday,
after the company Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E) cut the service to prevent the strong winds from causing more fires.
Thomas Henney, left, and Charles Chavira watch a column spanning Healdsburg, California, as fires at the LNU complex burn.
AP / Noah Berger
Power is expected to be fully restored by late Friday, amid a second round of hot, dry gusts of wind that swept through the region this week and increased the risk of fires, according to PG&E.
Many in the wine country north of San Francisco are feeling drained from what seems like a
never-ending wildfire season.
This is the case of Kathleen Collins who has had to evacuate her home in the mountains of Napa County four times in the last five years due to fires.
This summer, he
lived in a motel for two weeks
after leaving his home when a huge set of fires hit his small Pope Valley community.
"It's all very stressful. People aren't happy, but there's not much they can do about it," said Collins, deputy manager of Silverado Ace Hardware Store in Calistoga, the town of 5,000 people who were allowed to go home to the city. last week after the Glass fire forced them out in September.
The fire that destroyed areas of Napa and Sonoma counties was contained Wednesday after destroying more than
1,500 homes and other buildings.
Newsom will likely request another disaster declaration for the Glass and Zogg fires in Shasta County, according to Ferguson.
The latter was extinguished on Tuesday, while Glass's is 97% contained.
With information from AP, Los Angeles Times and CNN.
