Federal Funds Authorized To Help Fight Nevada Wildfire
Release Date: August 9, 2001
Release Number: HQ-01-077
Washington, DC -- The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) authorized the use of federal funds today to help Nevada fight the uncontrolled Antelope fire burning in Washoe County.
The state's request for federal fire suppression assistance was approved immediately after it was reported that the blaze was threatening farm areas and 150 homes in the Antelope Valley subdivision located about eight miles northwest of the city of Reno. The fire, which was started by lightning yesterday, had burned 800 acres of land and forced the evacuation of 100 people at the time of the request.
The authorization is the second granted for Nevada this year. The state previously was designated for FEMA firefighting assistance last month for the Ten Mile fire in Elko County.
Under the authorizations, FEMA is paying 70 percent of the state's eligible firefighting costs that are above $329,727. 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: Wednesday, 15-Oct-2003 13:38:59