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Washington, D.C. – Congressman Pete Visclosky and the entire Indiana Congressional Delegation sent a letter to President Bush today in support of Governor Mitch Daniels’ request for a major disaster declaration for the State of Indiana. If a major disaster declaration is granted, federal assistance from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) would become available to Northwest Indiana.
“Communities across Northwest Indiana are reeling from last weekend’s storm and the flooding that it brought,” said Visclosky. “Although the local and state response effort has been exceptional, we will need federal assistance to cleanup and recover from the disaster. I hope President Bush has the wisdom to grant a major disaster declaration and Northwest Indiana gets the help it needs as quickly as possible.”
Specifically, the Governor requested Individual Assistance programs including the Individual and Household Program, Disaster Housing, Other Needs Assistance, Crisis Counseling, Disaster Unemployment Assistance, and US Small Business Administration Disaster Loans for Lake, LaPorte and Porter Counties.
“I thank Governor Daniels for his efforts to support Northwest Indiana in these difficult times, and my Congressional colleagues for coming together across regional and party lines to support the request,” said Visclosky.
The following is the Indiana Congressional Delegation’s letter to the President:
September 20, 2008
The Honorable George W. Bush
President of the United States
The White House
Washington, D.C. 20500
Dear President Bush:
We are writing to ask for your expedited approval of Governor Mitch Daniels’ request for a Major Disaster Area Declaration for the State of Indiana as a result of severe storms and flooding that began on September 12, 2008, and is still ongoing. The communities affected by the storms are in serious need of federal assistance, and we fully support the Governor’s request.
These rainfall events caused widespread damage in Northwestern Indiana, most acutely in Lake, Porter, and LaPorte Counties. Many areas of these counties received over ten inches of rain during a three day period, with rivers and streams reaching new peak records, causing unprecedented damage in many towns. Thousands of homes were damaged and many residents remain displaced.
Additionally, hurricane force winds from the storm system left hundreds of thousands across Southern Indiana without power and led to multiple fatalities. There was also substantial destruction of public facilities and infrastructure throughout the state, including the prolonged closure of stretches of two major interstate highways. Based on the extent of the damage, timely federal assistance is essential to ensure that local government agencies and families impacted by these events are able to recover in a suitable manner.
We respectfully urge you to approve the Governor’s full request as quickly as possible.
We appreciate your serious consideration of this matter and look forward to working with you in any way to ensure that those affected by this disaster receive the appropriate assistance.
Sincerely,
Richard G. Lugar
United States Senator
Evan Bayh
United States Senator
Dan Burton
Member of Congress
Peter J. Visclosky
Member of Congress
Steve Buyer
Member of Congress
Mark Souder
Member of Congress
Baron Hill
Member of Congress
Mike Pence
Member of Congress
Joe Donnelly
Member of Congress
Brad Ellsworth
Member of Congress
André Carson
Member of Congress |
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