Governor Bob Ferguson of Washington is sending a video to the Trump administration to support the state's request for federal wildfire assistance. The video features interviews with residents affected by the fires and bipartisan leaders calling on the federal government to approve a Major Disaster Declaration.
"Federal assistance is critical as our communities work to recover from these fast-moving wildfires," Ferguson said.
Ferguson is requesting two types of federal assistance: Individual Assistance to help Washingtonians cover emergency costs, and Public Assistance to clean up debris and repair damage to infrastructure including roads, bridges and utilities. His request is supported by bipartisan letters from every member of Washington's congressional delegation and leaders of all four state legislative caucuses.
The governor used a similar approach after historic flooding in December, when he produced a video to support a Major Disaster Declaration request. That request was granted. A preliminary damage assessment of this summer's fires was conducted by the Washington State Emergency Management Division, FEMA and local jurisdictions across four counties.