Newsom signs state of emergency to support California communities recovering from wildfires
After two huge wildfires ravaged California’s wine country and northern parts of the state last month, the state capital city of Sacramento has acted to support Californians in the recovery from destructive wildfire situations.
On Thursday, Gov. Jerry Brown signed an emergency order declaring a state of emergency, which allows state and municipal resources to be used to aid communities affected by fires last month, reported NBC News.
The declaration also authorizes state and local agencies to work with local nonprofit service providers to support local recovery from the devastating wildfires.
The wildfires, which killed at least 77 people, destroyed more than 5,100 homes and forced the closure of thousands of businesses across the state, the deadliest wildfires in state history.
The governor’s declaration is the latest effort from California to assist those who were impacted by the fires, with Brown approving a $7.6 million grant for those affected by the wildfires to rebuild their homes.
“There are a lot of folks who are angry that we did not do more to help our neighbors,” Brown said of the fires during a press conference at the state Capitol. “It’s going to be a long, long process, but I want to make sure that we are doing everything we can to get this done, and that we are helping these folks, making sure they have the resources to rebuild, making sure they have the resources to work through their rebuilding.”
Additionally, Brown ordered that 1,500 state personnel are deployed to help residents affected by the fires.
The governor is continuing to work with local governments, non-profits and nonprofits to help those affected by the devastating wildfires, and is seeking input from the public on how to best help the thousands of California residents who were impacted by the fires.
“This is our chance to do everything we can to make sure that there will be resources in place to help rebuild homes,” Brown said. “If we are not going to rebuild, we are going to have to figure out a way to get some of these folks back to work, and it’s going to be a long, hard process.”
“There’s no question it’s going to take a long time for the public to get their lives back to normal,” he continued. “But we