Sen. Jim Webb, D-Va., sent a letter to the Federal Emergency Management Agency yesterday seeking an explanation for FEMA's refusal to grant federal funds to nearby Louisa County following the Aug. 23 earthquake.
This decision comes a month after FEMA denied Gov. Bob McDonnell's initial request for funds.
In the letter, addressed to Administrator Craig Fugate, Webb said the 5.8 magnitude earthquake "was the strongest quake to hit the Commonwealth in over a hundred years," noting that there were 1,000 damaged homes in addition to structural damages to churches, schools and power stations. The epicenter of the earthquake which rattled the East Coast was in Mineral, a town in Louisa County.
"The overwhelming majority of residents in this rural community lack adequate earthquake insurance protection, necessitating government assistance in a time of great need," he wrote.
Webb requested three separate pieces of information from FEMA: an explanation for the refusal to grant funding, information regarding the appeals process to reverse FEMA's decision and recommendations for alternative funding sources.
"The Senator believes that these are important questions for the Administration to answer, given the urgency of this issue to the citizens of Louisa County," Webb spokesperson Allison Jaslow said in an email.
FEMA plans to respond in a "timely manner," FEMA spokesperson Brad Carroll said in an email.
"Regarding the Governor's request, based on the information provided by the Commonwealth, it was determined that the damages from this event were not of such severity and magnitude to be beyond the capabilities of the Commonwealth, affected local governments, and voluntary agencies, and therefore the request for a major disaster declaration was denied," Carroll said. "The governor has 30 days from when the notification was received to appeal this decision and provide any additional damage information and FEMA will continue to work closely with the Commonwealth throughout this process"
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