Senators Mitch McConnell and Rand Paul sent a letter to President Joe Biden urging him to support Governor Andy Beshear’s request for a Major Disaster Declaration following May storms.
On June 14, Governor Beshear sent a request to the president urging for the declaration of a major disaster after the severe storms and tornadoes which hit Kentucky. The storms led to power outages which affected over 213,000 households throughout Kentucky. More than half of Kentucky’s counties reported severe damage following the storms.
The Major Disaster Declaration would allow for federal assistance in the recovery of many counties affected by the storms. With the declaration, 54 counties would be able to participate in the Public Assistance Program which provides grants to local and state governments to aid in the recovery of severe disasters. An additional 15 counties would be eligible for individual and household assistance which provides direct financial assistance and services to eligible to those who lack insurance.
The Kentucky Congressional Delegation, which includes Senators McConnell and Paul, as well as representatives Hal Rogers, Brett Guthrie, Andy Barr, James Comer, Thomas Massie and Morgan McGarvey, signed a letter to President Biden urging him to accept Governor Beshear’s request.
The Delegation wrote, “In recent years, the Commonwealth of Kentucky has endured some of the deadliest and costliest disasters in its modern history. As Kentuckians continue to recover, we support Governor Andy Beshear’s request for a Major Disaster Declaration that includes the Individuals and Households Assistance Program for 15 counties and the Public Assistance Program for 54 counties. We appreciate your prompt consideration of this request, which will greatly assist Kentuckians and our communities.”
The letter was sent to President Biden on Friday and he has not yet released a decision on the request.
Story by Reporter, Jordan Spaulding