WASHINGTON, D.C. — West Virginia’s congressional delegation announced Monday night the state will receive an additional $87 million in flood recovery funding.
The money will come through the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) Community Development Block Grant – Disaster Relief (CDBG-DR) Program.
In a prepared statement, U.S. Senator Joe Manchin called the funding a much needed boost to victims of the June 23 flood.
“This funding will provide assistance as our communities rebuild, schools repurchase desks and textbooks and families bind together to create new homes,” Manchin said.
The $87 million is in addition to the $17 million the state was awarded in October. The total $104 million is about 33 percent of what Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin has requested.
U.S. Senator Shelley Moore Capito called Monday’s announcement “an early Christmas present.”
“No amount of money can replace what was lost, but this disaster recovery support means that many families can begin to get back on their feet, businesses can rebuild and our communities can become safer and stronger than ever,” Capito said.
Third District Congressman Evan Jenkins welcomed the news on the “long road to recovery.”
“This funding is a down payment on our future needs, and I will continue to use my role on the Appropriations Committee to fight for West Virginians and to hold federal agencies accountable,” Jenkins said.