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President Trump declares ‘Major Disaster’ in Oregon

A bike path on OR-22 east of Salem to Detriot, Sept. 15, 2020. (Oregon Office of Emergency Management)

PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — A Presidential Major Disaster Declaration was granted for Oregon Tuesday as wildfires burn more than one million acres across the state.

Governor Kate Brown announced the news in a tweet, saying, “Oregon is resilient, but to fight fires on this scale, we need all the help we can get. Grateful we’ve been quickly granted a Presidential Disaster Declaration, helping provide support like damage assessment teams, search & rescue, debris management, shelter & medical assistance.”

President Trump issued an Emergency Declaration last week. On Monday, Brown said she asked the president to declare a “Major Disaster” to provide a wider range of federal assistance programs for people and infrastructure upgrades.