NOBLE, Okla. (AP) — Gov. Mary Fallin is joining state and federal officials to begin the task of assessing damage to homes and businesses during the state's wildfire outbreak.
Fallin will tour scorched parts of the state on Thursday with officials from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the Small Business Administration and the Oklahoma Department of Emergency Management.
The teams will begin their assessments in Cleveland, Creek, Oklahoma and Payne counties. Fallin will accompany officials near Noble in Cleveland County. Other counties may be added as assessments are completed in the next few days.
The governor says the assessments mark an important step toward qualifying for federal disaster assistance. Fallin says wildfire damage in the state has been enormous, burning hundreds of homes, tens of thousands of acres and causing at least one fatality.