Inslee asks Biden to declare Gray and Oregon Road fires ‘major disaster’ to unlock more federal aid

OLYMPIA – Gov. Jay Inslee on Wednesday asked President Joe Biden to declare the Gray and Oregon Road wildfires a major disaster, a move that could unlock aid from the Federal Emergency Management Agency to help communities in Spokane County recover.

In a letter to the White House, Inslee also asked for help from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Environmental Protection Agency to clean up debris from the fires that killed two people and leveled hundreds of homes and outbuildings in August. The governor wrote that the cleanup would focus on preventing the contamination of local waterways.

“This disaster has destroyed more primary homes than any other wildfire in Washington state history,” reads the letter. “Events of this severity and magnitude exceed the recovery capability of the state and impacted local governments and supplemental federal assistance is required.”

It will take more than $5 billion to repair all the damage the fires caused in Spokane County, according to data outlined in the 44-page letter signed by the governor. The letter also included a section citing climate factors that led up to the Gray and Oregon Road fires, saying “anomalously hot” temperatures occurred in Eastern Washington in the days leading up to the wildfires in Spokane County.

“Temperatures in the upper 90s to low 100s °F along with low relative humidity primed fine fuels to be much more receptive to wildfire,” the letter reads.

In a separate letter, Eastern Washington’s congressional delegation asked the president to grant Inslee’s request.

“While Washington state’s first responders have reacted to these disasters promptly and heroically, the events triggered by the Gray and Oregon Road Fires are quickly exhausting the already-strained capacity and resources of local communities and state agencies,” Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers, R-Spokane, and Democratic Sens. Patty Murray and Maria Cantwell, wrote.

The lawmakers noted that Washington state has seen 10 major disaster declarations since 2018, 37 FEMA grants to help fight wildfires and 125 state fire mobilizations, in addition to being one of the first states affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Weather conditions have led to an above-normal fire risk for all of Washington state due in large part to extreme heat, unprecedented dryness, and inclement weather such as high wind,” they wrote. “To date, there have been 1,855 fires and 155,503 acres burned and the fire season is far from over.”

The short-term spending bill Congress passed Saturday to fund the government through mid-November included $16 billion to refill FEMA’s Disaster Relief Fund, which was dangerously close to running out, according to monthly reports the agency submits to Congress. Major disasters such as the deadly wildfire in Lahaina, Hawaii, on Aug. 8 and Hurricane Idalia, which struck Florida later that month, have strained state and federal emergency management agencies.

In an effort to conserve funds before Congress passed that bill to avert a government shutdown, FEMA paused $2.8 billion in funding for thousands of disaster recovery projects across the United States. As climate-driven disasters ravage coastal communities and wildfire-prone regions, the agency is struggling to keep up.

State Rep. Jenny Graham, who represents Medical Lake and the surrounding 6th District where the Gray fire broke out, said she has heard doubts about whether FEMA will grant Inslee’s request.

When making decisions on whether to declare a major disaster, FEMA considers the extent of the disaster, its impact on individuals and public facilities, and what types of federal assistance may be needed.

FEMA ultimately decides if the disaster “has caused damage of such severity that it is beyond the combined capabilities of state and local governments to respond,” according to a FEMA disaster guide. Fires are one of a long list of natural events that qualify for major disaster declaration.

“From my understanding, (FEMA) may help more with flooding,” Graham said. “But not necessarily these fires – is the gist of what I’ve been hearing.”

Graham pointed to FEMA’s rejection of a similar aid application for the devastating Malden fire of 2020.

“They were faced with the same thing,” Graham said. “They were rural, and even though the majority of that little town was destroyed, there still was not enough loss of homes, buildings and infrastructure for them to get help from FEMA.”

On a local level, Graham said Medical Lake is struggling to find enough workers to rebuild at a fast enough pace to meet demand. The city has been having discussions about building tiny homes for residents to inhabit while new homes get built, Graham said.

“You don’t want people to move out of that community because it’s going to take two years for their house to be rebuilt or something,” she said.

In Medical Lake, a long-term fire recovery group has been formed and is working on paperwork to become a nonprofit, state Rep. Mike Volz said.

Volz said he is forming a legislative work group to help with fire recovery and connect state and local government leaders.

“We will hope our federal delegation will put on pressure to get Inslee’s letter approved,” he said.

On a state level, Volz said he is working to help with property tax relief.

“Unfortunately, we can’t just write them off,” he said. “But there’s certain things we can do: Tax extensions and revaluation of property taxes. We’re looking to do the most we can within the constraint of the law.”