Trump administration rejects California on disaster assistance for Creek Fire, others

The federal government has rejected California’s 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 Governor’s 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 didn’t 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.

Trump has occasionally threatened to withhold wildfire assistance from California, saying the state hasn’t done enough to manage its forests. The threats belie the fact that the federal government controls 57% of California’s forested lands.

In this case, FEMA press secretary Lizzie Litzow said in a written statement “the early September fires were not of such severity and magnitude to exceed the combined capabilities of the state, affected local governments, voluntary agencies and other responding federal agencies. For example, the state may request assistance from the Small Business Administration, which could provide low-interest disaster loans to homeowners, renters and businesses to meet their recovery needs. Other federal programs may also become available to aid recovery.

“But we cannot stress enough, insurance is always the most frequent financial source of help after disasters. If someone has insurance, they should file a claim immediately.”

While the government is denying funding to help homeowners and government agencies to handle recovery efforts, Litzow said FEMA did approve “fire management assistance grants” to help firefighting agencies respond to the incidents themselves. “These grants will deliver millions of dollars of assistance for emergency expenses and funds to help reduce the risk of future disasters,” she said.

Ferguson said California officials will appeal the federal government’s denial 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 won’t 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 California’s 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 can’t 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.”

This story was originally published October 15, 2020 at 4:34 PM with the headline "Trump administration rejects California on disaster assistance for Creek Fire, others."