Firefighters pick up the remains of a destroyed fire command at the Gates Elementary School on Wednesday, September 9. (Amanda Loman/Salem Reporter)
Oregon is getting $422 million in federal funding to help recover from the wildfires that started on Labor Day in 2020.
The federal Department of Housing and Urban Development announced Monday the Community Development Block Grant Disaster Recovery funds will be used for “disaster relief, long-term recovery, restoration of infrastructure and housing, economic revitalization, and mitigation, in the most impacted and distressed areas.”
President Joe Biden signed the allocations into law on Sept. 30.
“This (disaster recovery) appropriation will help with the unmet needs of Oregonians in impacted areas. We look forward to working with the state and continuing to support the recovery efforts from the devastating 2020 wildfires,” said Tony Ramirez, director of HUD’s Portland field office, in a statement.
The release said the money is Oregon’s first disaster recovery allocation.
Oregon got the second-largest allocation out of the 10 states that were awarded money, behind Louisiana which experienced damage from Hurricanes Laura and Delta.
-Saphara Harrell
