THE WHITE HOUSE
Office of the Press Secretary
For Immediate Release
August 12, 2014
President Obama Signs Washington Disaster Declaration
The President today declared a major disaster exists in the State of Washington and ordered federal aid to supplement state, tribal, and local recovery efforts in the area affected by wildfires during the period of July 9 to August 5, 2014.
Federal funding is available to state, tribal, and local governments and certain private nonprofit organizations on a cost-sharing basis for emergency work and the repair or replacement of facilities damaged by the wildfires in the county of Okanogan and the Confederated Tribes of Colville Reservation.
Federal funding is available on a cost-sharing basis for hazard mitigation measures in all areas within the state.
W. Craig Fugate, Administrator, Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), Department of Homeland Security, named Michael J. Hall as the Federal Coordinating Officer for federal recovery operations in the affected area.
FEMA said that damage surveys are continuing in other areas, and additional counties may be designated for assistance after the assessments are fully completed.
