Feds deny aid for Yosemite's Rim Fire
Source: San Francisco Chronicle
The federal government this week rejected Gov. Jerry Brown's request to help pay for damage caused by the Rim Fire, leaving the state and the small Sierra communities that suffered in the blaze on the hook for potentially tens of millions of dollars.
In a letter sent to the governor Monday, the administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency said California's third-largest wildfire was not severe enough to qualify as a federal disaster. As a result, Tuolumne and Mariposa counties won't get financial aid to repair roads, water systems and other damaged infrastructure.
... It shut down park roads and prompted visitors to cancel vacations, while destroying 11 homes and dozens of other buildings, including the city of Berkeley's Tuolumne Camp. In all, Brown estimated losses exceeding $70 million.
... The state has 30 days to appeal the decision, which Kelly Huston, deputy director of the Governor's Office of Emergency Services, said the governor would do. Huston expects the damage count to rise since communities have had time to further assess losses.
Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/science/article/Feds-deny-aid-for-Yosemite-s-Rim-Fire-4967948.php
