Governor O’Malley Seeks Federal Disaster Aid in Wake of Derecho Storms of June 29-30

Six jurisdictions included in request for assistance for local and state agencies

ANNAPOLIS, MD (July 27, 2012) – Governor Martin O’Malley today requested a Presidential Disaster Declaration for six jurisdictions in Maryland in the wake of the derecho storms that swept across Maryland on June 29 and 30. The request is for Public Assistance, which will reimburse county and municipal governments for up to 75 percent of the costs associated with response to and clean up of the storms.

The local jurisdictions included in the request are Baltimore City and Calvert, Charles, Kent, Montgomery and Saint Mary’s counties. Other counties could be added later as they continue to calculate their costs from the storm. The request also seeks state-wide hazard mitigation funds, to help government agencies reduce the threat of future events.

“In the aftermath of the historic storms in June, local governments around Maryland, and especially those in the jurisdictions included in this request, took extraordinary measures to remove debris, direct traffic at intersections without power and provide cooling centers for the many thousands of residents without power during a prolonged heat wave,” said Governor O’Malley. “That’s why we are seeking assistance from our federal partners to help our State recover from the unanticipated costs of these storms.”

Early in the morning of June 30, just after the last of the storms moved off shore, more than 1 million electric customers around the state were without power, some for more than a week. And in the days following the storms, temperatures in Maryland were in the upper 90s and low 100s, creating a health risk for those without access to air conditioning.

“We hope that federal reimbursement will help cushion the economic blow of these storms for the local agencies in these six jurisdictions,” said Ken Mallette, Executive Director of the Maryland Emergency Management Agency. “Local governments have already been suffering financially in recent years, so this federal assistance will be crucial to help them balance their budgets.”