Fires Popping up in Oregon

PRINEVILLE, OR -- The Central Oregon Interagency Dispatch Center said more than 7,500 lightning strikes pounded the area Tuesday. The storms, which started around 1 a.m., sparked approximately 50 news fires in the area, and crews were able to keep most to less than a quarter acre in size. The largest fire, the Buckhorn Fire, is burning is steep terrain along a remote section of the John Day River east of Antelope. As of Tuesday evening, the fire had grown to 150 acres. The Prineville Hotshots, a five-person hand crew, four rappellers, two helicopter and three engines are fighting the Buckhorn Fire.

A Red Flag Warning for lightning storms remains in effect until 11 p.m. Wednesday. Although some areas received heavy precipitation with these storms, it can take only hours for light fuels like grass to dry out.

Applying For Disaster Aid On Your Smart Phone

For the first time, survivors of a disaster will now be able to apply for federal disaster assistance on their Smartphones, making aid more immediately accessible for people after a disaster hits.

This new tool, created at the direction of FEMA Administrator Fugate, can be accessed directly at FEMA’s new mobile web site m.fema.gov. Financial assistance for disaster survivors becomes available when a disaster has been declared by the President, to include individual assistance.

On average, roughly 40 percent of disaster applicants complete applications online. More and more, when a disaster strikes, survivors are relying on their Smartphones to stay in touch with friends and family. While computers and other means of applying for assistance may not be accessible for survivors right away, Smartphones can help ensure that survivors have immediate resources and information at their fingertips.

For more information including a demo please click here http://www.fema.gov/news/newsrelease.fema?id=52167