(SPOKANE, WA.) -- Washington Governor adds five counties to wildfire emergency proclamation.
The amendment adds Benton, Columbia, Grant, Kittitas and Whitman counties. This brings the total number counties covered by the state of emergency to 12, along with the three Tribal Nations: Confederated Tribes and Bands of the Yakama Nation, the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation, and the Spokane Tribe of Indians.
Photo Credit: Instagram / Governor Ferguson
The governor released a statement reaffirming his commitment to help those in need.
“Wildfires have destroyed Washingtonians’ homes across a broad geographic area,” Governor Ferguson said. “We remain laser-focused on assisting Washingtonians who have lost so much."
"My emergency proclamation extends important protections and expands eligibility to ensure everyone impacted can seek the help they need.”
Governor Ferguson first declared a statewide wildfire emergency on the morning of Saturday, Aug. 1. The proclamation included a statewide prohibition on most outdoor and agricultural burning through September 30, 2026.
It also allows Washington state to access additional resources through the Emergency Management Assistance Compact, a nationwide mutual aid system.
The proclamation was amended on August 10 to suspend state laws, protect tenants, and open cash assistance to help those impacted by the wildfires.
One of the ways the proclamation will help individuals is by requiring no charge for Washingtonians who have lost documents due to the fires.
Here is a link to the form to request replacements for vital records lost in the fires from the Department of Health at no charge. This includes certificates for births, deaths, marriages, and divorces that took place in the state of Washington.
You can visit any driver licensing office statewide for free replacements of driver's licenses, ID cards, and other Department of Licensing records lost in the fires.
Photo Credit: Instagram / Spokane Fire
The Governor's emergency proclamation also activated $1 million in Disaster Cash Assistance to help people meet their basic needs. Information on how to apply, and more on other cash assistance programs, available here.
Washington state also has the Family Emergency Assistance Program. This provides cash assistance to families with children during a disaster. The Governor’s emergency proclamation extends this program to include families without children.
This program is usually only available to families once per year. The Governor’s emergency proclamation allows families impacted by wildfires to access the program each month if needed.
The proclamation will also suspend the one-week waiting period usually required for those seeking unemployment benefits, so that residents out of work due to the wildfires will be able to receive help immediately.
Additionally, the proclamation suspends the job search requirement. This means that those receiving unemployment benefits because of the fires will not need to prove they are actively searching for a job.
In addition to this work, the governor is preparing an application for a major disaster declaration. This application is due September 29.
The governor intends to ask for the three types of FEMA disaster assistance: Individual Assistance, Public Assistance, and Hazard Mitigation Assistance.
OpGov.News will continue its coverage of the Spokane fires and the response from authorities.
If you would like to comment on this report, please email me at rory.h@lead4earth.org.
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