More Than $6 Million in Federal Assistance Provided to West Virginia

Charleston, Wv. – State and federal officials say that more than $6 million in federal assistance has been delivered to the State of West Virginia to help cover the costs of the severe winter storm, flooding, landslides and mudslides March 3-14, 2015, that damaged infrastructure in 32 counties.

 FEMA has provided a total of more than $6 million to the State thus far including roughly $50,000 for emergency protective measures to safeguard lives and property while responding to the disaster. More than $5 million of these funds are for permanent repair work, primarily to West Virginia Division of Highways.

“The severe March weather caused more than $30 million in damage and response costs, mostly to roads,” said State Coordinating Officer Jimmy Gianato. “FEMA is providing 75 percent of those costs and the State is providing the remaining 25 percent.”

“FEMA continues to support West Virginia to ensure that applicants receive all of the assistance for which they are eligible,” said Federal Coordinating Officer Suzann Cowie. “Funding for Hazard Mitigation efforts, statewide, is also available.”

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