The Federal Emergency Management Agency has directed far less resources to helping California cope with the devastating Camp Fire than it typically sends to states dealing with the aftermath of a hurricane, or other natural disasters. But experts say that’s by design, as California’s robust disaster response planning and operations make the feds less necessary in the early stages of fighting a disaster.
FEMA, which is tasked with coordinating federal agencies in responding to a disaster, has so far issued fewer than 25 task orders to federal agencies for an estimated $1.5 million worth of assistance since the California wildfires were declared a major disaster on November 12, according to FEMA’s database of daily mission assignments.
That’s a far cry from the more than 140 orders FEMA issued in the first five days after Hurricane Florence was declared a major disaster on September 14, which collectively were estimated to cost more than $200 million.
