UPDATE: Congressman Tom McClintock (R-CA), whose district includes Huntington Lake, posted on social media Friday that President Trump has reversed the decision and will issue a Presidential Disaster Declaration shortly.

ORIGINAL POST: The federal government has rejected California’s request for disaster relief assistance for six wildfires across the state, including the Creek Fire, reported multiple news sources (including CNN, the Los Angeles Times and the Fresno Bee) Thursday night.  Brian Ferguson, deputy director of crisis communication and media relations for the state Office of Emergency Services, confirmed the rejection to these outlets, though he could not provide a rationale.

The state had sought the highest level of support available given the unprecedented severity of the damage.  This was expected to amount to several hundred million dollars for repair, cleanup and rebuilding of areas such as Huntington Lake that were damaged in this summer’s fires.  It is unclear why the request was rejected, though President Donald Trump has threatened in the past to withhold funds from California for such requests.

It is not immediately clear whether the decision might be reconsidered, either by the Trump administration or by a possible new Joe Biden administration, nor is it clear specifically how this will impact the rebuilding of Huntington Lake or surrounding areas.  But for the moment, more than ever, it looks as though it will be up to our community to rebuild.  Find out how you can help here.

Sean Wilson is the creator and administrator of the Raised at Huntington Lake project, and a fourth-generation cabin owner at Idylwilde Tract.  You can reach him at sean@raisedathuntingtonlake.com.