In a letter to President Barack
Barack Obama Friday, Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin said the Jan. 9 Elk River chemical
spill and resulting nine-county water emergency caused $61 million in estimated
losses to the economy.
The governor is seeking a federal
disaster declaration from the President and the Federal Emergency Management
Agency (FEMA).
“Please accept this letter as a
formal request that you declare a major disaster for the State of West Virginia
The letter goes on to list specific
costs of the emergency which the governor dates from Jan. 9 through Jan. 20.
“The flooding of the chemical Crude
MCHM into the water supply of 300,000 customers was unprecedented, and received
national and internal attention,” the governor wrote. “The threats to health
and safety were immediate, and the impact of the spill has been continuous.”
The state received immediate help
with bottled water from FEMA when the emergency began but a federal disaster
declaration has been more difficult to gain. The governor had to appeal
original roadblocks put up by FEMA.
“A declaration of a major disaster
and associated further assistance will lessen our significant financial burden,
and will enable us to continue to respond to each new aspect of this event as
it arises,” Tomblin said in his letter to the President.
