Federal Funds Authorized To Help Fight Florida Wildfire
Release Date: May 17, 2000
Release Number: HQ-00-074
Washington, DC -- Federal funds have been made available by FEMA to help Florida fight the uncontrolled Flowers Myakka Fire Complex located in Sarasota County.
FEMA Director James Lee Witt said the state's request for federal fire suppression aid was approved late yesterday after learning the blaze was endangering as many as 2,000 homes north of I-75 and had forced closure of a section the interstate highway near the city of North Port. The fire complex had burned 1,800 acres of land at the time of the request.
Under the authorization, FEMA will pay 70 percent of the state's eligible firefighting costs that are above $1,520,356. 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 09:40:24