The Federal Emergency Management Agency has denied Virginia’s request for aid for individuals whose property was damaged by the Aug. 23 earthquake.
Gov. Bob McDonnell announced the agency’s decision last Friday. He said he’s disappointed and will immediately appeal.
The 5.8-magnitude earthquake centered in Louisa County caused an estimated $15 million in residential property damage in Virginia. McDonnell says most of that damage was not covered by insurance, and federal assistance is necessary to help Virginians get their homes back in working order.
The aid sought by McDonnell would have provided low-interest loans, grants, unemployment assistance, disaster housing assistance and crisis counseling.
“If damage from a once-in-a-generation, 5.8 magnitude earthquake does not qualify for federal disaster relief, then I don’t know what does,” U.S. Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va., said in a statement.
Topics Catastrophe Natural Disasters Virginia FEMA
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