Nev. Gov. Seeks Federal Assistance in Waterfall Fire

Nevada Gov. Kenny Guinn is requesting a federal Preliminary Damage Assessment (PDA) team through the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) for a thorough assessment of the damages and economic impact experienced as a result of the Waterfall Fire earlier this month in Carson City. The PDA team will determine if the state will qualify for a federal Presidential Declaration of Emergency for the July 14 fire.

“The fire caused significant destruction of private and commercial properties, roadways and drainage infrastructure,” Gov. Guinn said. “While the initial response has primarily been concluded, the post-fire, long-term recovery will be extensive in order to prevent further damages to homes, commercial properties and public infrastructure resulting from excessive water runoff, debris flows and potential mud slides.”

The PDA team was to arrive on Wednesday morning. The team is anticipated to spend the rest of the week visiting the affected areas and compiling data. The team will be accompanied by the State of Nevada’s PDA team through the Nevada Division of Emergency Management and members of the Nevada Division of Forestry.

If the assessment determines that the State of Nevada qualifies for a federal declaration, the state will receive a federal Public Assistance grant for recovery of emergency response costs and restoration of lost or damaged public infrastructure.

Additionally, the state will receive post-disaster mitigation funds that will assist with the post-fire rehabilitation of the affected areas.