July 31, 2025 11:10 a.m.  

Some federal disaster relief is coming to southern Oregon, but two requests have been denied by the federal government.

Oregon’s U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden and U.S. Representative Val Hoyle have welcomed the approval of Oregon Governor Tina Kotek’s request for a Major Disaster Declaration from the Federal Emergency Management Agency in response to devastating floods and other damaging weather-related events that severely impacted Coos, Curry, and Douglas counties in March.

To help impacted communities recover from this disaster, the Oregon lawmakers wrote a letter to the White House in support of the Governor’s request for a Major Disaster Declaration. President Trump granted her request.

The federal approval now unlocks funding from the Federal Emergency Management Agency for state, Tribal, and eligible local governments and certain private nonprofit organizations on a cost-sharing basis to address damage sustained from flooding, landslides, mudslides, and other impacts during the storm.

However, on Tuesday the lawmakers were informed that FEMA denied the Governor’s request for a declaration to provide support for eligible individuals and households in the three counties through the Individual Assistance program. In addition, FEMA denied the request to make the Hazard Mitigation Grant Program available in the three counties and statewide.