WASHINGTON, D.C. – Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin requested an expedited Major Disaster Declaration on February 16. After more than two weeks without a response, a bipartisan letter requesting the White House to approve aid was authored on Tuesday.
This designation would open the door for help from FEMA.
Senators Tim Kaine (D-VA) and Mark Warner (D-VA) alongside Rep. Morgan Griffith (R-VA) signed their names to the letter.
“Unfortunately, this storm has resulted in at least four fatalities, caused significant damage to regional infrastructure, left over 203,000 customers without power at its peak, caused over 270 road closures including low water bridges and road washouts, resulted in multiple 9-1-1 center outages,” said the letter.
Gov. Youngkin’s February 16 request included Individual Assistance and Public Assistance for Buchanan, Dickenson, and Tazewell counties and Hazard Mitigation Grant Program assistance statewide. On February 26, Gov. Youngkin submitted an amended expedited Major Disaster Declaration request for Individual Assistance and Public Assistance that included Bland, Giles, Lee, Pulaski, Russell, Scott, Smyth, and Wise.
“Since the initial request for an expedited Major Disaster Declaration, additional impacts have been revealed now that post-storm assessments are taking place. This amended expedited Major Disaster Declaration would ensure the availability of key federal resources to support the Commonwealth’s efforts to guarantee public safety and rapid recovery from the direct and indirect effects of this destructive storm event,” said the lawmakers.
The West Virginia delegation authored a similar letter to Trump. Governor Morrisey’s request was eventually approved.
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