(The Center Square) – Oregon Governor Tina Kotek invoked the Emergency Conflagration Act for the eighth time this year last week.
Kotek invoked it on August 1, 2024, responding to the Telephone Fire in Harney County. The governor invokes the act when the necessary resources to protect life and property from a wildfire exceed the capacities of local first responders.
“I continue to be alarmed by how quickly this fire season has escalated,” Governor Kotek said in a statement. “To date, I have deployed the National Guard, requested and received approval from the Federal Emergency Management Agency for seven Fire Management Assistance Grants, requested a Secretarial Disaster Declaration from the United States Department of Agriculture for agriculture recovery needs, and this marks my eighth use of the Emergency Conflagration Act this year. I want to thank our firefighters for their tireless work on the Telephone Fire and fires across the state, as well as the many partners that have come in to aid our communities.”
Governor Kotek has also declared a Statewide Emergency against the state’s many wildfires; she hopes it will streamline cooperation between various state and local agencies, giving the state the resources it needs to promptly combat wildfires.
“State agencies are working with local communities to continuously assess what state and federal resources are needed,” the release said.
Kotek also deployed the National Guard to combat these wildfires. The state has two Medevac crews, and two bucket crews, plus four 22-person hand crews helping the wildfire response effort.
“Recovery starts the moment a wildfire breaks out, and the Governor is committed to not only protecting Oregon’s cattle, crops, and property but also to supporting the agricultural community recover as quickly as possible,” the release said.
Kotek has also asked for federal disaster recovery support in a few more ways, according to the release:
- Secretarial Disaster Designation for Baker, Coos, Crook, Curry, Deschutes, Douglas, Gilliam, Grant, Harney, Hood River, Jackson, Jefferson, Klamath, Lake, Lane, Linn, Malheur, Morrow, Umatilla, Union, Wallowa, Wasco, and Wheeler. The Secretarial Disaster Designation allows the state to request federal assistance when weather conditions disproportionately harm an agriculture industry.
- Federal Lands Grazing Permits for alternative grazing areas and flexibility in grazing schedules to accommodate recovery across National Forest System lands.
- Weed-Free Forage emergency waivers for the use of non-certified weed-free forage necessary for soil stabilization and livestock feeding.
Kotek also asked the USDA to work with state and local offices to expedite federal relief programs that address agriculture and recovery.
Plus, the Oregon Department of Human Services recently announced that residents who lost food they bought with Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits due to the recent wildfires can contact the department to receive replacement benefits.
SNAP households in Baker, Linn, Malheur, and Umatilla counties have until August 16, 2024, to request replacement benefits for food spoiled or destroyed by wildfires.
Meanwhile, SNAP households in Crook, Grant, Gilliam, Harney, Hood River, Morrow, Wasco, and Wheeler counties have until August 21, 2024, to request replacement benefits.
SNAP households outside those counties must request replacement benefits within 10 days of the loss.
“Households who disposed of food bought with SNAP benefits that was destroyed due to these events can request that replacement benefits be issued for the cost of the lost food,” the DHS release said. “The maximum amount of SNAP that can be replaced is the value of the food up to the normal monthly benefit for the household.
“Households should be prepared to provide a list of the lost food, the cost to replace it, and may have to provide proof of the event that destroyed the food,” the release added.
Tom Joyce is a contributing writer for The Center Square.