Congressman Thompson Continues Push for Disaster Declaration, Cites Collective Effort

Statement

CONGRESSMAN THOMPSON CONTINUES PUSH FOR DISASTER DECLARATION, CITES COLLECTIVE EFFORT

Today, United States Representative Bennie G. Thompson (D-MS) release the following statement:

"In the days following the April 4th, tornado and high winds which caused substantial damage across central Mississippi, including Hinds, Madison and Warren counties, I urged President Bush to grant the State of Mississippi's request for a federal disaster declaration. In that letter (attached), I cited the cases of bodily injury, property damage, infrastructure disrepair, damage to power and water resources.

"Federal law provides that only the governor of a state can request a federal disaster declaration. Once that request has been made, a Preliminary Damage Assessment (PDA) is conducted to determine the size and scope of a disaster. The PDA is conducted by state and local officials who oftentimes invite FEMA along for on-the-ground site visits. These visits are intended to provide officials with a first-hand view of the damage. In this case, officials from Mississippi Emergency Management Agency (MEMA), the Small Business Administration and other agencies conducted the PDA to give the State ample evidence to make its case to the President. The State, using the data collected during the PDA, submitted its request to the President. At that point, the decision whether to declare a disaster rests with the President. Last Friday, the President denied the request.

"The President should reconsider his decision. The people of central Mississippi need assistance and, given the information collected during the PDA process, federal resources should come to bear. I encourage the Governor to resubmit his request so that our constituents can receive the help they need."

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