While unprecedented conditions continue to feed the 2021 wildfire season in California, the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services (Cal OES) is starting to help impacted counties recover from devastating fires.
Today, Cal OES announced Plumas County will be receiving an advance of $5 million and Alpine County $1 million in California Disaster Assistance Act (CDAA) Public Assistance funding.
“We are proud to provide funding to Plumas and Alpine after multiple fires have torn through their counties,” said Cal OES Deputy Director Ryan Buras. “We hope this will help the counties and their residents with the support and services they need to start the road to recovery.”
This advance CDAA funding is due to the magnitude of the damage sustained in Plumas County resulting from to the Dixie Fire and in Alpine County from of the Tamarack Fire.
Plumas County
The county has incurred extraordinary costs associated with emergency protective measures and sustained damage to public infrastructure including:
- Several miles of local roads (including guard rail and signage)
- Park facilities
- Other public infrastructure.
Alpine County
The county has incurred extraordinary costs associated with emergency protective measures and sustained damage to public infrastructure, including:
- Several miles of local roads
- Public utilities
- Public parks
- County facilities
Given this damage, normal community services and civic functions within both counties are significantly impacted.
CDAA
CDAA authorizes the Director of Cal OES to administer a disaster assistance program that provides financial assistance from the state for costs incurred by local governments because of a disaster event. The implementing regulations for CDAA can be found in Title 19 of the California Code of Regulations, beginning at section 2900.
State of Emergency and Federal Assistance
On July 20, 2021, Governor Gavin Newsom announced that California secured a Fire Management Assistance Grant (FMAG) from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to help ensure the availability of vital resources to suppress the Dixie Fire burning in Butte and Plumas Counties.
On July 23, 2021, Governor Newsom proclaimed a state of emergency for Plumas County due to the Dixie Fire and Fly Fire, Butte and Lassen counties due to the Dixie Fire, and Alpine County due to the Tamarack Fire.