Federal Funds Authorized to Help Fight New Mexico Wildfire
Release Date: May 10, 2000
Release Number: HQ-00-068
Washington, DC -- Federal funds were made available today by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to help New Mexico battle the uncontrolled Cree fire located in Lincoln County.
According to the agency, the state's request for federal fire suppression aid was approved late yesterday immediately after it was reported that the 3,000-acre fire was endangering up to 100 homes and forced the evacuation of 200 residents in the town Ruidoso.
Under the authorization, FEMA will pay 70 percent of the state's eligible firefighting costs that are above $95,097. The figure, called a floor cost, is derived through a formula based on the state's five-year annual average cost for fighting fires.
Federal fire suppression aid is provided through the President's Disaster Relief Fund and made available by FEMA to assist in fighting fires when they threaten to cause a major disaster. Eligible state firefighting costs covered by the aid can include expenses for field camps; equipment use, repair and replacement; tools, materials and supplies; and mobilization and demobilization activities.
Last Modified: Monday, 17-Nov-2003 09:37:23