29 Jul, 2024
Federal Assistance for Wildfire Response and Recovery [Updated July 29, 2024]
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Riddle, Anne A.; Hoover, Katie
From the document: "Wildfires are unplanned fires. Wildfires may be caused by natural phenomena (i.e., lightning strikes) or by deliberate or accidental human activities. Wildfires occur naturally, and many ecosystems evolved in the presence of wildfire, meaning wildfires cannot be entirely prevented and may have beneficial impacts. However, wildfires often threaten homes and communities, forcing evacuations or requiring a firefighting response to protect lives and property. From 2013 to 2023, there were an average of 61,407 wildfires annually and an average of 7.2 million acres impacted annually. In 2023, 56,580 wildfires burned 2.7 million acres. Congress and other stakeholders have considered options for federal support and assistance to address wildfire suppression during a fire, post-wildfire recovery, and land management activities to reduce the risk of future catastrophic wildfires, among other issues."
    Details
  • URL
  • Authors
    Riddle, Anne A.
    Hoover, Katie
  • Publisher
    Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
  • Report Number
    CRS In Focus, IF10732
  • Date
    29 Jul, 2024
  • Copyright
    Public Domain
  • Retrieved From
    Congressional Research Service: crsreports.congress.gov/
  • Format
    pdf
  • Media Type
    application/pdf
  • Subjects
    Wildfires--Economic aspects
    Disaster relief
    Federal aid to fire prevention
  • Resource Group
    Reports (CRS)
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