WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Ben Cardin and Barbara A. Mikulski  (both D-Md.) along with members of Maryland’s Congressional Delegation today announced that the Department of Transportation (DOT) has awarded $7.6 million in federal emergency relief to repair roads and highways across Maryland following the devastation caused by Tropical Storm Lee last September. Senators Mikulski and Cardin were joined by U.S. Representatives Steny H. Hoyer, Roscoe E. Bartlett, Elijah E. Cummings, Chris Van Hollen, C.A. Dutch Ruppersberger, John P. Sarbanes, Donna F. Edwards and Andy Harris.

“As members of the Maryland Congressional Delegation, we have been united in working to ensure Maryland has the resources needed to recover from the devastation caused by Tropical Storm Lee,” members of the Delegation said. “The unprecedented level of precipitation placed both residential and commercial areas in danger. This disaster continues to have an economic impact throughout communities, which have already contributed a vast amount of resources. This important federal funding from the Department of Transportation will help supplement state and local recovery efforts so that families, businesses and communities across our state can continue to recover and rebuild.”

The emergency relief funding was made available following President Obama’s Disaster Declaration for the State of Maryland and ensures that the already strained state budget is not stretched any thinner as a result of another natural disaster. The Maryland Congressional Delegation sent a letter to President Obama on September 29, 2011 to support Governor O’Malley’s request for a Disaster Declaration following the storm. A copy of their letter is available here.

Tropical Storm Lee deposited up to 20 inches of rain and caused major flooding and damage that washed out roadways, brought major highways to a halt, damaged government buildings, and destroyed homes and businesses. Flooding was compounded by the already saturated soil following Hurricane Irene.

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