FEMA Awards 48 Million for 2011 Wildfires

More than $47.9 million was recently awarded to the state of Texas by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) for reimbursement of expenses to fight the wildfires that burned in 168 counties and destroyed more than 1.3 million acres of land in 2011.
The FEMA funding covers the costs of fire suppression activities, which were carried out by the Texas A & M Forest Service, the U.S. Forest Service, the Bureau of Land Management, the U.S. National Park Service and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

“A record number of wildfires damaged communities all across Texas in 2011,” said FEMA Region 6 Administrator Tony Robinson. “We are proud to continue the successful collaboration with our local and state partners as those communities rebuild and move forward with the recovery process.”

FEMA’s contribution, made possible by a Public Assistance grant, represents a 75 percent federal cost share. FEMA awards funding for projects directly to the state of Texas; the state then forwards the grant to the eligible applicant.