Oklahoma, Federal Officials Assess Wildfire Damage

Oklahoma Gov. Mary Fallin and state and federal emergency management officials have surveyed parts of the state scorched by recent wildfires.

The group viewed damage in Cleveland County on Aug. 9 where they stopped at the burned out home of Harold and Vicky Grigg in Slaughterville. Vicky Grigg said the home was destroyed by a Friday fire that gave them no time to save their possessions.

She says insurance covers their losses — but the many of her neighbors don’t have insurance. She says all but two of the dozen or so homes on her street were destroyed.

State Department of Emergency Management director Albert Ashwood, says the assessment will help determine whether the area qualifies for federal aid.

The fires destroyed 380 homes and burned more than 171 square miles statewide.

Topics Catastrophe Natural Disasters Wildfire Oklahoma