Today, Congressman Brett Guthrie (Bowling Green) received the support of the top Democrat on the U.S. House of Representatives subcommittee that oversees the federal government's response to natural disasters to help Kentucky communities receive 100% reimbursement for costs that resulted from the recent ice storm.
Washington, DC – Today, Congressman Brett Guthrie (Bowling Green) received the support of the top Democrat on the U.S. House of Representatives subcommittee that oversees the federal government’s response to natural disasters to help Kentucky communities receive 100% reimbursement for costs that resulted from the recent ice storm.
Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-District of Columbia) chairs the Subcommittee on Economic Development, Public Buildings, and Emergency Management, which oversees disaster response and preparedness. Guthrie is a member of this subcommittee and asked that the subcommittee make ice storm recovery efforts a top priority.
During a subcommittee hearing today, Norton pledged to work with Congressman Guthrie to address the reimbursement level. In the meantime, she also pledged to help expedite 50% of the reimbursements for local governments.
“This was the worst natural disaster to ever hit my district. I am proud that we have worked together to get back on our feet,” Guthrie said. “While much progress has been made, there is still a lot of work to do. This storm continues to place a tremendous burden on the local governments to bear the costs of clean-up efforts. Speeding up the process to get 50% of the reimbursement in the bank accounts of local governments is a step in the right direction, but I remain committed pushing for 100% reimbursement of these costs.”
A panel of experts, including Judge/Executive Gary Logsdon, of Grayson County, Ky., testified about the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) response to the ice storm and used this opportunity to share with FEMA ways to improve disaster response. Congressman Guthrie invited Judge Logsdon to testify before the subcommittee.
Currently, the federal government is authorized to cover 75% of the costs for removing debris from public areas and emergency measures taken to save lives and protect public health. This still leaves the state and local governments responsible for the remaining 25% of the costs.
