Over $31 Million Provided to West Virginia for March, April Storms

Charleston, W.Va. – State and federal officials say that more than $31 million in combined state and federal disaster assistance has been delivered to the State of West Virginia to help cover the costs of the severe storms, flooding, landslides and mudslides in March and April that damaged infrastructure across the State.

“We continue to work with FEMA to ensure that eligible projects are completed,” said State Coordinating Officer Jimmy Gianato. “These incidents caused heavy damage to our State. This funding represents our strong partnership and ongoing efforts in recovering from the severe weather in March and April.”

“I am proud of the work we have completed so far in coordination with West Virginia and our partners,” said Federal Coordinating Officer Regis Phelan. “We remain committed to this process and to West Virginia’s recovery from these incidents.”

FEMA’s Public Assistance Programs provide state and local governments and eligible private non-profit organizations, in designated counties, with federal funds to pay 75 percent of the approved cost of debris removal, emergency services related to the disaster, and for repairing or replacing damaged public facilities such as roads, bridges, buildings and utilities. Hazard Mitigation funding is for cost-effective measures that would prevent or reduce the threat of future damages.

The State, which distributes the FEMA funds to local governments and qualified non-profits, must review Public Assistance projects, along with FEMA, to ensure compliance with regulations.

FEMA’s mission is to support our citizens and first responders to ensure that as a nation we work together to build, sustain, and improve our capability to prepare for, protect against, respond to, recover from, and mitigate all hazards. FEMA Region III’s jurisdiction includes Delaware, the District of Columbia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia and West Virginia.  Stay informed of FEMA’s activities online: videos and podcasts are available at fema.gov/medialibrary and youtube.com/fema. Follow us on Twitter at twitter.com/femaregion3.

Media Contact: FEMAR3NewsDesk@fema.dhs.gov