February 17, 2021 10: 55 a.m.

In an effort led by Congressman Peter DeFazio, Chair of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, Oregon’s entire congressional delegation is calling on President Joe Biden to approve a February 9th request from Governor Kate Brown for additional federal funds to respond to recent windstorm and wildfire events.

A release said damage from the unprecedented series of fires that began in September is estimated at nearly $1 billion, including more than $600 million for debris removal alone.

A letter from the delegation asked that President Biden take into account the size and scale of the disaster as well as the backdrop upon which the disaster fell. In the span of a few short days, fires burned an area the size of the state of Rhode Island. Lawmakers said as a result, thousands of Oregonians have been displaced and countless businesses have been lost.

The release said Oregon continues to respond and recover from four additional Presidentially-declared disasters since May 2019, including three counties covered under both Major Disaster Declarations from floods and the wildfire disaster last fall.