NAHUNTA, Ga. — Some residents in Brantley County have expressed concern about why FEMA has not yet been called in to provide direct on-the-ground aid to the wildfire victims.
FEMA usually sends crews to assist with wildfires through the Fire Management Assistance Grant (FMAG) program. FEMA crews typically work with local crews rather than acting as first responders. A local government must meet a certain threshold to qualify for FEMA assistance.
“They have certain parameters. First of all, there’s financial parameters. If it hits a certain dollar amount in destruction, then, of course, that triggers it. There are other triggers as well. How much land, how much area that has been impacted as well,” said U.S. Representative Earl “Buddy” Carter ( R ), GA District 1.
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The dollar amount threshold that determines FEMA deployment is based on this formula:
- The individual fire cost threshold for a State is the greater of the following: $100,000; Five percent x $1.94 x the State population, or….
- The cumulative fire cost threshold for a State is the greater of the following: $500,000, or three times the five percent x $1.94 x the State population
FEMA says it authorized federal funds to reimburse Georgia for the cost of fighting the Highway 82 fire, among other fires. FEMA said one of its administrators approved the state’s request on April 21, which provides funding for up to 75% of eligible firefighting costs.
“As you can imagine, it’s a big bureaucracy at the federal government. But at the same time, that’s how we’re pushing from our office so hard to make sure that they understand the situation down here,” said Representative Carter.
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