Trump Grants Major Disaster Declaration To California Amid Wildfires - White House

WASHINGTON (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 23rd August, 2020) US President Donald Trump has approved federal aid for California, which has been battling massive wildfires, the White House said in a statement.

"Today, President Donald J. Trump declared that a major disaster exists in the State of California and ordered Federal aid to supplement State, tribal, and local recovery efforts in the areas affected by wildfires beginning on August 14, 2020, and continuing," the Saturday statement says.

According to the White House release, federal funding will be available to California residents in the counties of Lake, Napa, San Mateo, Santa Cruz, Solano, Sonoma, and Yolo.

"Thank you to the President for your partnership and granting this urgent Major Disaster Declaration. California is battling two of the largest fires in our history and has seen nearly 600 new fires in the last week caused by dry lightning strikes. These are unprecedented times and conditions, but California is strong - we will get through this," California Governor Gavin Newsom said in a Saturday statement.

Newsom announced on Friday that the number of wildfires in the state had increased to 560 since mid-August. The fires were sparked by some12,000 lightning strikes that have occurred since August 15, state officials said. A total of 771,000 acres of land have burnt as a result of the fires, Newsom said.

Newsom requested a Presidential Major Disaster Declaration on Friday.

On Saturday, the LNU Lightning Complex in Northern California became the second-largest wildfire in state history, after the 2018 Mendocino Complex, according to Cal Fire. The LNU fire has scorched 314,000 acres, while the Mendocino Complex burned over 459,000 acres two years ago. Another active fire, the SCU Lightning Complex, currently ranks third, burning over 291,968 acres.