Note: On 8/17/18 an amendment was made to the Presidential Disaster Declaration and it now includes Lake County
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Governor Edmund G. Brown Jr. announced that the White House has approved California’s request for a Presidential Major Disaster Declaration submitted to the President to help with the impacts of the wildfire in Shasta County.
“This is part of a trend – a new normal – that we’ve got to deal with. We’re dealing with it humanly, financially and governmentally,” said Governor Brown earlier today during a media briefing at the Carr Fire Incident Command Post in Anderson, California. “These kinds of horrible situations bring people together, regardless of the lesser kind of ideologies and partisan considerations.”
A Presidential Major Disaster Declaration helps people in the impacted counties through eligibility for programs and support, including housing assistance, food aid, unemployment assistance, counseling and medical services and legal services. The declaration also includes public assistance to help state, tribal and local governments with ongoing emergency response and recovery costs, including repairs and replacement of disaster-damaged facilities and infrastructure such as roads, bridges and utilities. The declaration also includes hazard mitigation, which helps state and local governments reduce the risks and impacts of future disasters.
Governor Brown officially requested the Presidential Major Disaster Declaration for Lake, Mendocino, Napa and Shasta counties. FEMA is reviewing the requests for Lake, Mendocino and Napa counties on an expedited basis as preliminary damage assessments continue.