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Pa. fights back against storm cleanup denial
Roger DuPuis//June 2, 2017//
Listen to this articleGov. Tom Wolf declared a disaster emergency throughout the commonwealth on March 13 ahead of the storm, which the administration said resulted in damages of about $7.2 million.
Wolf announced Friday that his administration has appealed the denial.
Robert Fenton, acting administrator for the Federal Emergency Management Agency said in a denial letter to Wolf that the damage from Stella was “not of such severity and magnitude as to be beyond the capabilities of the commonwealth and affected local governments.”
Wolf disagrees.
“The conditions of this severe winter storm event are like those that the Commonwealth experienced in January of 2016 in which a federal major disaster declaration was granted,” he wrote to Trump.
Wolf cited decreased revenues at the state and county levels; hazardous road conditions due to record or near-record snowfalls; excessive costs for plowing, hauling and disposing the crippling amounts of snow from the storm; major challenges to first responders in supporting basic and event-related emergency services as well as disaster response needs at the municipal and county level; and mobilization of a variety of local and volunteer resources to address public safety and emergency needs of citizens.
“The financial impact of this storm will impact both day-to-day and emergency operations in these communities for months to come,” Wolf said. “Without federal assistance, they very well may be forced to cut funding for vital services their citizens need.”
