SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Days after President Donald Trump threatened to withhold federal funding to fight wildfires that are burning across California, FEMA announced on Saturday it approved federal disaster assistance to the state.
Federal relief will include grants for temporary housing, home repairs, low-cost loans to cover uninsured property losses and other programs to help people recover from recent wildfires.
The disaster assistance will be made available to those who are impacted by wildfires in Lake, Napa, San Mateo, Santa Cruz, Solano, Sonoma and Yolo Counties. State, tribal, eligible local governments and some private nonprofit organizations can access federal funding.
The Associated Press reported three groups of fires, which include the LNU Lightning Complex Fire, SCU Lightning Complex Fire and CZU Lightning Complex Fire, with 991 square miles burned, destroyed more than 500 structures and killed at least five people. At least 100,000 people are under evacuation orders.
Politico reported Trump threatened to withhold federal money while he blamed California for its wildfires at a campaign rally on Thursday.
"I see again the forest fires are starting," Trump said. "I said, you gotta clean your floors, you gotta clean your forests — there are many, many years of leaves and broken trees and they're like, like, so flammable, you touch them and it goes up."
Gov. Gavin Newsom tweeted a thank you message to Trump for approving the disaster relief funding.