WASHINGTON, D.C. — West Virginia’s congressional delegation are urging President Donald Trump to support any additional federal disaster funding to help with recovery efforts from the June 2016 and July 2017 floods.
U.S. Senators Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) and Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.), along with Representatives David McKinley (R-W.Va.), Alex Mooney (R-W.Va.) and Evan Jenkins (W.Va.) sent a letter to the President to express support for Governor Jim Justice’s request to include West Virginia in any Presidential supplemental appropriations request to Congress.
Part of the letter said, “We strongly support West Virginia Governor Jim Justice’s request for disaster funding for the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG-DR) program to address the critical unmet needs of our constituents. The additional CDBG-DR funding requested by the Governor would help homeowners rebuild safer and stronger. It would give our small businesses an opportunity to reinvest in the communities on which they depend. It would give these communities the resources they need to reduce their exposure to flood threats and promote sustainable development.”
“We are proud of the hardworking men and women of West Virginia who have pulled together to help each other rebuild from the torrential rains that inundated the north central region our state earlier this year and led to a major disaster declaration on August 18, 2017 (DR-4331). While we are humbled by the heroic actions of our first responders and the thousands of individual citizens that helped friends, neighbors, and complete strangers escape rising floodwaters, we now find ourselves unable to help many of these same individuals on their own road to recovery, and we urge you to include West Virginia in any Presidential supplemental appropriations request that your Administration may submit to Congress.”
On June 23, 2016, flood waters impacted much of the state, leaving 23 people dead. Torrential rains devastated northern counties of the state in on July 28, 2017, including Harrison, Marion, Marshall and Wetzel counties.