Letter To The Honorable W. Craig Fugate, Administrator, Federal Emergency Management Agency
Letter
Rep. Courtney Invites FEMA Administrator Fugate to Visit Eastern Connecticut to View Flood Damage
Congressman Courtney extended an invitation to Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Administrator W. Craig Fugate in a letter today. The invitation follows yesterday's denial of Individual Assistance to Connecticut counties affected by severe weather and flooding last month.
"While I appreciate last week's announcement of public and hazard mitigation aid, I feel strongly that denying Individual Assistance ignores the harsh reality that families and businesses are living with on the ground," stated Courtney. "Having spoken with local officials and residents and seen much of the damage firsthand, I know how beneficial a visit by Administrator Fugate would be to FEMA and the residents of the Second District who are frankly struggling to understand why this individual assistance was denied."
Click here to read the Congressman's letter to Administrator Fugate.
On April 9, 2010, Governor Rell made a formal request for a major disaster declaration by FEMA on behalf of the State of Connecticut. On April 23, 2010, the agency made the official declaration, FEMA-1904-DR, authorizing Public Assistance - including Federal assistance for three counties and Hazard Mitigation statewide. Following yesterday's denial of individual aid however, Governor Rell announced that she plans to appeal the decision which she has 30 days to do. Congressman Courtney supports the governor in this pursuit and will actively back the appeal on the federal level.
Full text of the letter is below:
The Honorable W. Craig Fugate
Administrator
Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)
500 C Street S.W.
Washington, D.C. 20472
Dear Administrator Fugate:
I appreciated the chance to speak to you last week regarding Connecticut's request for assistance related to the March 2010 flooding my state, and in particular New London and Windham counties. However, I write today to express my frustration with the denial of Individual Assistance (IA) to Connecticut and request that you to visit my district to see the damage in person at the soonest possible opportunity.
While I sincerely appreciate the assistance provided by the President and your agency through Public Assistance and Hazard Mitigation aid announced last week, the reality on the ground remains that homeowners and businesses across New London, Windham and other impacted counties in my state are still struggling to recover from last month's storms. Having witnessed the damage firsthand in North Stonington, Norwich, Griswold, and other impacted areas, I have seen how the storm and its aftermath has overwhelmed local capacity to respond, as well as hit individuals unprepared for the recovery.
However, I note that while President Obama visited Massachusetts in regard to the March flooding that state experienced, and Secretary Napolitano visited neighboring Rhode Island to see first-hand the impact of the storm, to my knowledge no FEMA or US Department of Homeland Security official above the regional level has been on the ground in Connecticut. I believe such a visit would be helpful not only to FEMA, but also to those who are struggling to understand the justification for the denial of individual aid. To this end, I extend an invitation to you to visit eastern Connecticut and view the impact of these storms first hand with elected officials and individuals affected as soon as possible.
Thank you for your consideration of this request and I look forward to your response.
Sincerely,
JOE COURTNEY
Member of Congress
Source