Biden Approves Major Disaster Declaration for California: Federal Aid Opens to Los Angeles County Wildfire Victims

On January 8, 2025, President Joe Biden approved a major disaster declaration for California, opening federal assistance to residents and communities in Los Angeles County, California, affected by the wildfires. The declaration, numbered FEMA-4856-DR-CA, covers the California wildfires and straight-line winds that began on January 7, 2025, and were continuing.

According to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), federal funding for affected individuals includes grants for temporary housing and home repairs, low-interest loans to cover uninsured property losses, and other programs to help recovery.

Federal funding is also available to the state, tribal and eligible local governments and certain private nonprofit organizations for emergency work and the repair or replacement of facilities damaged by the fires.

FEMA named Curtis Brown as the federal coordinating officer for federal recovery operations in the affected area. FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell was to travel to California to assess the needs of survivors, and Biden received a briefing on the fires that day at a fire station in Santa Monica.

Residents affected by the fires could begin applying for federal assistance through DisasterAssistance.gov, by calling 800-621-3362, or by using the FEMA app.

Related: Los Angeles Pacific Palisades Wildfire Destroys More Than 6,800 Buildings, Kills 12

(Source: FEMA)

Source: FEMA

Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)

Photo: 图：白宫南立面与南草坪，华盛顿。（HiraV 摄，CC BY 3.0，经 Wikimedia Commons） / Photo: The south facade of the White House and the South Lawn, Washington. (HiraV, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons)

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