Local News

FEMA Awards $2.35 Million in Disaster Funds for Okanogan County PUD

Oct 08, 2014

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) recently awarded more than $2.35 million to the state of Washington to help pay for disaster-related repair costs of the Okanogan County Public Utilities District (PUD).

Under its Public Assistance (PA) program, FEMA funding helps eligible tribes, state agencies, local governments and certain nonprofits pay for the approved cost for debris removal, emergency protective measures, and the repair or replacement of infrastructure damaged or destroyed by the wildfires. FEMA provides 75 percent of these costs, while non-federal sources pay for the remainder.

On Aug. 11, President Obama issued a major disaster declaration that authorized FEMA to coordinate federal disaster relief to help the state recover from the Carlton Complex Fire that occurred between July 9 and Aug. 5. The disaster declaration covers Kittitas County, Okanogan County and the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation.

The $2.35 million award will help reimburse the Okanogan County PUD for the repair of 280,000 linear feet—more than 53 miles—of fiber optic cable and associated infrastructure damaged by the wildfires. Its fiber optic network backbone provides a wide variety of data services and stretches from the Columbia River junction in Brewster to the Canadian border.

For more information about this disaster—including the total dollar amount of PA grants—click on Washington Wildfires, or go to www.fema.gov/disaster/4188.