White House Approves Presidential Emergency Declaration for Nevada Following Devastating Hawk Fire

WASHINGTON, D.C. / CARSON CITY, NV — The federal government has officially approved a Presidential Emergency Declaration for the State of Nevada, authorizing the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to deliver direct disaster assistance to supplement ongoing wildfire recovery across Washoe County.

The executive action—designated as FEMA Release HQ-26-124—follows an emergency petition submitted by Nevada Governor Joe Lombardo after the Hawk Fire burned more than 15,000 acres, destroyed 47 single-family homes, and displaced thousands of residents along the foothills of Peavine Mountain.

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|       FEMA EMERGENCY DECLARATION DOSSIER: NEVADA       |
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|  - Declaration Number: FEMA-HQ-26-124                  |
|  - Impacted Incident: Hawk Fire (Washoe County)        |
|  - Federal Program: Direct Federal Public Assistance   |
|  - Federal Cost-Share: 75% Federal Funding Match       |
|  - Federal Coordinating Officer: Maona N. Ngwira       |
|  - State Lead: Nevada Division of Emergency Management |
|  - Structural Toll: 47 Homes & 1 Business Destroyed;   |
|                     8 Homes Sustained Heavy Damage     |
|  - Eligible Actions: Debris Removal, Burn Scar Flood   |
|    Mitigation & Public Infrastructure Protection       |
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Mobilizing Direct Federal Assistance

Under the approved declaration, FEMA is authorized to identify, mobilize, and deploy federal emergency equipment and operational resources necessary to protect public health, safeguard property, and avert the threat of catastrophic post-fire hazards.

Emergency protective measures under the federal Public Assistance program will be reimbursed at a 75% federal cost-share, significantly easing the municipal financial burden on the City of Reno, the Truckee Meadows Fire Protection District, and Washoe County.

FEMA Regional Administrator leadership named Maona N. Ngwira as the Federal Coordinating Officer assigned to direct federal response and interagency recovery operations on the ground in Northern Nevada.

Combating Post-Fire Debris Flow and Flooding Threats

The release of federal aid comes at a pivotal moment for Washoe County emergency operations.

With the Hawk Fire held at 95% containment across 15,051 acres, interagency teams have shifted from suppression to active stabilization.

The National Weather Service recently issued flash flood and debris flow watches over Peavine Mountain’s fire-scorched slopes, where hydrophobic soils threaten to send mud and ash into Somersett and Northwest Reno drainage systems.

Federal dollars will assist county public works teams in dredging sediment basins, reinforcing culverts, clearing downed trees, and staging emergency drainage diversions to protect residential neighborhoods downhill from the burn scar.

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|             RECOVERY PHASES UNLOCKED BY FEMA           |
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|  • Phase 1: Rapid deployment of earthmovers and debris |
|    clearing crews along foothill drainage channels     |
|  • Phase 2: Federal funding match for local emergency  |
|    overtime, public safety operations, and materials   |
|  • Phase 3: Secondary joint damage assessments for     |
|    potential Individual Assistance housing grants      |
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“This Presidential Emergency Declaration ensures that our local fire agencies, emergency responders, and displaced families receive the federal resources required to rebuild safely,” state emergency management officials noted. “Having direct federal assistance active on the ground will accelerate stabilization while our communities recover.”

Governor Lombardo’s administration confirmed that state emergency liaisons will coordinate directly with FEMA teams to conduct joint damage assessments, which may unlock additional federal individual housing and recovery grants.

Source: Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA Release HQ-26-124), Office of Nevada Governor Joe Lombardo, Nevada Division of Emergency Management.