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.
