WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Ben Cardin and Barbara A. Mikulski and U.S. Representative Elijah E. Cummings (all D-Md.), together with U.S. Representatives Steny H. Hoyer, Chris Van Hollen, C.A. Dutch Ruppersberger, John P. Sarbanes, Donna F. Edwards, Andy Harris and John Delaney today in a letter to President Obama expressed their strong support for Governor Larry Hogan’s request for a federal Disaster Declaration for Howard County after the deadly and devastating flooding in Ellicott City.
“We are writing to express our shared support for Maryland Governor Larry Hogan’s request for the declaration of a major disaster as a result of a severe flooding which impacted Ellicott City in Howard County on July 30, 2016. Given the massive impact that this flooding had on our resources, we respectfully request that you expeditiously approve the provision of supplementary federal assistance,” wrote members of the Delegation.
The Disaster Declaration would make federal funding available to the State and eligible local governments and certain private nonprofit organizations on a cost-sharing basis for emergency work and the repair or replacement of facilities damaged by the severe flooding in Howard County.
Ellicott City suffered six inches of rain in a period of 90 minutes. The National Weather Service predicts that a rainfall of this magnitude should statistically occur only once every one thousand years. The subsequent flooding resulted in Governor Hogan declared state of emergency. The storm caused an estimated $22 million in damage in Ellicott City.
The text of the delegation’s letter of support is as follows:
August 12, 2016
The President
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington, D.C. 20500
Dear Mr. President:
We are writing to express our shared support for Maryland Governor Larry Hogan’s request for the declaration of a major disaster as a result of severe flooding which impacted Ellicott City in Howard County on July 30, 2016. Given the massive impact that this flooding had on our resources, we respectfully request that you expeditiously approve the provision of supplementary federal assistance.
Ellicott City, a historic Maryland treasure known for its vibrant business community and its culture of kindness and resilience, suffered significant flooding throughout an intense rainfall on the evening of July 30, 2016. The National Weather Service predicts that a rainfall of this magnitude should statistically occur only once every one thousand years. Six inches of rain poured down on Ellicott City, an amount of rain that normally falls over the course of one month, in a period of only ninety minutes.
Governor Hogan took appropriate action under Maryland law, declaring a State of Emergency in Howard County. Maryland has since made significant efforts to respond to this unexpected event. The Maryland Emergency Management Agency (MEMA), along with Howard County officials and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), conducted an extensive impact assessment August 4-5. They collectively found that the event was of such severity and magnitude that effective recovery is beyond the capabilities of the State of Maryland and Howard County governments alone, and requires supplementary federal assistance. Governor Hogan, working with FEMA, has estimated the total recovery cost to exceed $22 million.
We urge you to expeditiously review Governor Hogan’s request and declare a major disaster for Howard County, Maryland. Thank you for your consideration of our request.
Sincerely,
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