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SEATTLE - President Trump approved an emergency declaration for Washington Tuesday morning, authorizing the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to coordinate all federal disaster relief efforts for those impacted by wildfires in the state.
FEMA announced federal disaster assistance is available to aid in the emergency of the wildfires that began Aug. 1, 2026 and have continued with 0% containment as of Tuesday.
The purpose of federal disaster relief efforts is to alleviate hardship caused by the emergency on the local population, along with providing appropriate assistance to save lives, protect property, public health and safety and to lessen or avert the threat of catastrophe.
Who is impacted by the emergency declaration?
Chelan, Ferry, Okanogan, Spokane, Stevens and Yakima counties and the Confederated Tribes and Bands of the Yakama Nation, Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation and Spokane Tribe of Indians will be impacted by the assistance.
What does FEMA do in an emergency like this?
FEMA is authorized to provide equipment and resources to ease the impact of an emergency.
Under the Public Assistance program, and limited to direct federal assistance, emergency protective measures will be provided at 75% funding.
The named Federal Coordinating Officer, John F. Harrison, is the officer for federal response operations in the affected areas.
Local perspective:
Governor Bob Ferguson's request was granted in full—except for debris removal.
What's next:
The governor is preparing a request for a "Major Disaster Declaration," which is essentially the process of unlocking individual assistance that supports individuals recovering from disasters and public assistance to provide funding for repairs of state infrastructure.
The backstory:
Ferguson activated 110 members of the WA National Guard, supporting firefighter operations on July 31. The purpose of this activation was to supplement the 27 helicopter crew members who were activated earlier in July.
The Emergency Management Division in WA's military department is coordinating statewide response from the State Emergency Operations Center, supporting affected communities.
13 task forces have been mobilized by the WA State Fire Marshal's Office, with eight fighting in Okanogan County and five in Stevens County. A task force staged in Kittitas County was staged over the weekend to prepare for fire response.
The governor declared a statewide state of emergency on Saturday due to drought conditions and the mix of high temperatures and high winds, which also included a statewide prohibition on most outdoor and agricultural burning through Sept. 30.
The Source: Information in this story came from FEMA.
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