CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin sent both FEMA and the Small Business Administration letters Tuesday seeking additional assistance in connection with the nine-county water emergency.
Tomblin asked FEMA for Direct Funding Assistance for state and local governments and eligible non-profit agencies in the nine counties.
“At the time of the Emergency Declaration, no one knew how long this assistance would be needed,” Gov. Tomblin wrote. “The response to the Elk River chemical spill is ongoing and many of our agencies continue to work hard to recover from this spill. I urge FEMA to modify the current emergency declaration so eligible expenditures by our first responders, state and local governments and non-profit agencies can be reimbursed.”
The governor also asked the SBA to provide assistance to small businesses and private, non-profit organizations.
“Businesses suffered revenue losses as a result of the West Virginia American Water’s DO NOT USE order in addition to local employees who lost wages,” Gov. Tomblin said. “This event caused significant disruption to businesses in the affected areas.”
Tomblin said businesses, many of them restaurants, also had the shoulder the costs of clean-up in order to get approval from the health department to reopen.