08/13/2008 GAAS:604:08 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Print Version | Email / Share
Gov. Schwarzenegger Requests Major Federal Disaster Declaration for State of California Due to Wildfires
Today,
Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger sent the following letter to President Bush
through Nancy Ward, Federal Emergency Management Agency Regional Administrator,
Region IX, requesting that the President amend his previous emergency
declaration and declare a major federal disaster for the State of California due to
wildfires.
The
request includes:
- A major federal disaster declaration for the State of California as a result of the wildfires;
- Dating the declaration to include wildfires that began on May 22, 2008; and
- Individual assistance to help victims of the wildfires.
In June,
Governor Schwarzenegger sent a letter to President Bush
requesting an initial federal emergency declaration to help Californians cope
with the effects of the wildfires.
Text of the
letter:
August 13,
2008
The
President
The White House
Washington, DC
20500
Through: Ms.
Nancy Ward
Regional Administrator,
Region IX
Federal Emergency
Management Agency
1111
Broadway
Suite
1200
Oakland, California 94607-4052
Dear Mr.
President,
I appreciate the
continued coordination and support by the Federal Emergency Management Agency
(FEMA) of the State of California following your emergency
declaration (FEMA-3287-EM) dated June 28, 2008. As you are no doubt aware,
2,096 wildfires have
scorched more than 1.3 million acres throughout the state to date. In fact,
as of the date of this letter, a total of 306 homes have been destroyed by the
wildfires, and thousands more are
threatened. While many of these fires have been contained, there
are 12 active fires that continue to burn and threaten the lives and safety of
the people of California. The response to these fires has
severely taxed California's resources, and total disaster
costs are in excess of $175.7 million.
Under the
provisions of Section 401 of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and
Emergency Assistance Act, 42 U.S.C. §§ 5121-5207 (Stafford Act), and implemented
by 44 CFR § 206.36, I request that you amend your previous emergency declaration
and expeditiously declare a major disaster for the State of California as a
result of the wildfires in the counties of Butte, Kern, Mariposa, Mendocino,
Monterey, Plumas, Santa Barbara, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, Shasta and Trinity.
In addition, I request that the previously approved incident period start of
June 20, 2008, be amended to the date the siege of wildfires began: May 22,
2008. This date more accurately reflects the beginning of the unseasonable and
severe fire behavior California has incurred due to the drought
conditions as stated in my original request.
In response to the
situation, I took appropriate action under state law and directed the execution
of the State Emergency Plan on May 22, 2008, in accordance with Section 401 of
the Stafford Act. In recognizing the potential for a devastating fire season
and considering the tinderbox conditions that brought about the 2007 Southern California wildfires, I issued Executive Order
S-03-08 on May 9, 2008, in an effort to address the immediate threat to life,
safety and property.
The
situation in California has been impacted further by the
prolonged drought conditions and lower-than-normal precipitation spanning the
past few years. The effects of the drought have been far-reaching. On May 29,
2008, a statewide drought and water
delivery restriction idled thousands of acres of cropland, a substantial
economic impact to agriculture that crippled California's industry and the people it
employs. Subsequently, on June 12, 2008, I issued an executive order
proclaiming a statewide drought and proclaimed a state of emergency in the
counties of Fresno, Kern, Kings, Madera, Merced, Sacramento, Stanislaus and Tulare, as well as the Tahoe region.
Additionally, in 2007, 52 of California's 58 counties received drought
designations from the U.S. Department of Food and Agriculture (USDA). In 2008,
32 of California's counties, with estimated losses
totaling more than $180 million, have requested the same USDA
designation.
In fact,
when the California fire siege began, the
National Weather Service reported that June 2008 was the fifth consecutive month with below-normal precipitation across Northern
California from Mount Shasta to Fort
Bragg to the west and from Mount Shasta
to Placerville
to the east. These arid conditions were further compounded in Northern
California by above-normal temperatures in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Valley, southwestward to the San Francisco
Bay Area, as well as 25 percent or less of normal rainfall. These conditions
produced fuels that were drier than normal and consequently spawned the severe
fire season which began on May 22, 2008, with the Summit Fire in Santa Clara and Santa Cruz counties. Even small fires that
would have been manageable under normal conditions saw moderate-to-strong winds
that caused them to grow into the large, devastating Summit Fire in Santa Clara
County (May 22, 2008); Ophir (June 10, 2008) and Humboldt (June 11, 2008) fires
in Butte County; and the Martin Fire in Santa Cruz County (June 11, 2008).
These four fires burned an additional 29,734 acres, destroyed 446 structures and
damaged another 16 structures. At the peak of the fire siege, there were more
than 2,000 wildfires burning statewide. (See Enclosure
E.)
Direct federal
assistance provided to California through the FEMA-3287-EM has
provided in excess of $52 million. However, as conditions worsen, the state's
resources and capabilities to respond to the firefighting effort continue to
diminish. Since June 20, 2008, federal, state and local resources from more
than 40 states have assisted California with personnel and equipment to
fight the wildfires. In addition, 11 states - Arizona, Colorado,
Idaho, Nebraska, New Mexico,
North Carolina, North
Dakota, Oregon, Utah, Washington and
Wyoming - have
provided National Guard assistance. Due to the ongoing urgency of the situation
throughout the state, additional resources and personnel requests are
continually monitored by my Office of Emergency Services (OES). I have
determined that this incident is of such severity and magnitude that effective
response is beyond the capabilities of the state and affected local governments,
and that supplementary federal assistance is necessary. Pursuant to 44 CFR
206.36(d), I am requesting expedited assistance for Categories A-G.
In the
joint FEMA/OES Preliminary Damage Assessment for the proclaimed counties, costs
to state and public agencies to recover from this disaster are estimated to be
$153 million. This total significantly exceeds the state threshold of $1.24 per
capita (approximately $42 million) to qualify for a major federal disaster
declaration as established in the Federal Register. (See Enclosure
B.)
I am also
specifically requesting Individual Assistance (including the Individual and
Households Program, Disaster Unemployment Assistance, Crisis Counseling and
Legal Services); Public Assistance; and Small Business Administration Disaster
Loans. I am also requesting, as appropriate, assistance from the U.S. Army
Corps of Engineers, the Federal Highway Administration and the Natural Resources
Conservation Service; implementation of the USDA's Emergency Loan Program; and
any other Stafford Act programs as appropriate for the counties of Butte, Kern, Mariposa, Mendocino, Monterey, Plumas, Santa
Barbara, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, Shasta and
Trinity. I am also requesting that Hazard Mitigation Grant Program funding be
made available on a statewide basis. (See
Enclosures A and C.)
In addition, there will
be a need for the removal of debris, which poses an immediate threat to public
health and safety. Pursuant to Sections 502 and 407 of the Stafford Act, 42
U.S.C. Sections 5192 and 5173, the state agrees to indemnify and hold harmless
the United States of
America for any claims arising from the removal
of debris or wreckage for this disaster. The state agrees that debris removal
from public and private property will not occur until the landowner signs an
unconditional authorization for the removal of debris.
I have designated OES
Director Henry Renteria as the state coordinating officer for this request. He
will work with FEMA on damage assessments and may provide further information or
justification on my behalf.
Sincerely,
Arnold
Schwarzenegger
Enclosures [hard copy only]
Enclosure A - Estimated
Requirements for Individual Assistance under the Stafford Act
Enclosure B
- Estimated Requirements for Public Assistance under the Stafford Act
Enclosure C
- Estimates Requirements for Other Federal Agency
Programs
Enclosure D
- Governor's Certification
Enclosure E
- Predictive Services, Monthly Fire Weather/Fire Danger Outlook, July
2008
