July 19, 202 10:30 a.m.

Congressman Peter DeFazio and Senator Jeff Merkley are leading Oregon’s Congressional delegation in pushing the Federal Emergency Management Agency for maximum readiness for Oregon’s 2021 wildfire season.

A release said the lawmakers are asking the agency to detail the steps it has taken to make it easier and faster to deliver disaster assistance in the wake of a catastrophic wildfire.

The push comes as the Bootleg Fire in southern Oregon continues to be the largest fire currently burning in the United States.

In a letter to FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell, the group referenced the unprecedented and destructive wildfire season in 2020. They said, “As we approach another potentially catastrophic wildfire season, many Oregonians continue to struggle to return to the pre-disaster state of normal”.

The delegation’s letter posed a number of questions about how FEMA will address the fire situation this year.

The full text of the letter is linked: https://www.merkley.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/21.07.15%20Oregon%20CODEL%20Letter%20to%20FEMA.pdf