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| A firefighter battles the Creek Fire as it threatens homes in the Cascadel Woods neighborhood of Madera County, California, on Monday, Sept. 7, 2020. (Photo by=Noah Berger/The Associated Press) |
[Asia News Communication = Reporter Reakkana] The Trump administration rejected, then approved, California's request for disaster assistance for six fires after massive wildfires — one of which was the largest one in its history — tore through the state over the last few months.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom requested a disaster declaration and financial aid from the federal government in a letter sent on September 28, estimating damages from the fires exceeded $229 million. Shortly after administration officials explained the request had been denied because the application didn’t meet the criteria for federal aid, President Trump reversed the decision. "Just got off the phone with President Trump who has approved our Major Disaster Declaration request," Newsom said in a statement on Friday. "Grateful for his quick response."
In Newsom's letter sent at the end of September, the governor emphasized the importance of federal assistance, writing that it was "critical to support physical and economic recovery of California and its communities." "The longer it takes for California and its communities to recover, the more severe, devastating, and irreversible the economic impacts will be," Newsom wrote. Six of the fires that raged throughout the state were among the top 20 largest wildfires recorded in California history. The August Complex fire, located north of San Francisco, scorched a record-breaking 1,029,065 acres, damaging nearly 1,000 structures and killing one.
