SPOKANE, Wash. — New drone video showed the destruction and recovery more than seven months after the Gray and Oregon Road Fires.
Hundreds of homes were destroyed in the fires. But, as spring arrives, the communities are beginning to take their first steps toward rebuilding.
Helping with that process is FEMA. The federal agency arrived in town following President Biden's major disaster declaration on February 20.
On Thursday, KREM 2 talked with FEMA Coordinating Officer Duke Davis to get a better idea on where recovery stands. Davis said that, so far, 473 people have registered with FEMA for assistance.
In terms of FEMA, that comes in the form of grants to homeowners who were impacted by the fires. Davis also said that there's a misconception that those grants are only available to homeowners who didn't have insurance. That's not the case.
He said they've already helped people who were insured, but whose policies didn't cover items impacted by the fires, including things like HVAC, wells or maybe ADA ramps.
He said of 473 people who've registered so far, they've already made 43 payouts. Those grants can be up to $80,000. His message to people impacted by the fires is to register with them right now, because the window to do so is closing.
"We're waiting on 207 folks to bring in their insurance policy," Davis said. "Please come in, talk to us, and let's find an opportunity, in your particular situation, to get to yes and get you some assistance."
Davis said wildfire victims have until April 20 to register. That's when the window closes, so it's best to reach out to them before that.
FEMA still has two recovery centers open; one at the County Church of the Open Bible in Elk and the other at Medical Lake City Hall.
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