Moore appeals FEMA denial of disaster assistance for Western MD flooding

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Gov. Wes Moore has appealed the Trump administration’s denial of disaster assistance to help cover the state and local response to devastating flooding in Western Maryland in May.

The cost of damages from the flooding has continued to rise in recent weeks. The Federal Emergency Management Agency has determined that the flooding led to nearly $34 million in emergency response costs and damage, a substantial increase from July, when the figure was about $16 million.

Moore previously contended that the president has historically awarded disaster assistance when costs exceed certain thresholds at the state and local levels — about $11.7 million for Maryland and $321,500 for Allegany County.

In his letter of appeal to President Donald Trump, Moore wrote that Allegany County would have to spend more than 20% of its total budget to cover recovery costs, risking cuts to services, delays to capital improvements and employee layoffs.

Acting FEMA Director David Richardson didn’t provide a specific reason for declining to approve the state’s request for federal assistance earlier this summer. Moore and his team were expected to appeal the decision and provide the agency with more data to support their request.

“Maryland has met long-standing criteria for FEMA support in the wake of historic floods across Mountain Maryland. And this appeal isn’t simply justified, it’s necessary,” Moore said in a statement Tuesday.

The governor has said that the damage from the floods, which forced responders to evacuate more than 200 elementary school students and staff by rescue boat and inundated homes and businesses with floodwater, “clearly” met the agency’s criteria for disaster assistance.

In the wake of the devastating floods, Moore asked for a federal disaster declaration to unlock funding to reimburse emergency response activities during and after the floods, including repairs to damaged public infrastructure and facilities. The request also included grant funding to help the state prepare for future flooding and natural disasters.

The disaster assistance would help Allegany and Garrett counties recover after extreme rainfall in the region caused Georges Creek, a Potomac River tributary, to overflow into several towns, damaging hundreds of homes, several businesses, roads and bridges, railroads, sewer systems, drinking water and public utilities.

Among the ongoing concerns has been extensive damage to sewer systems in the county. Raw sewage has continued to enter waterways in the Georges Creek region, prompting warnings for area residents to avoid swimming, fishing or otherwise coming into contact with the water in certain areas.

Westernport Elementary School, where swift water rescue teams had to evacuate 150 students and 50 staff members during the floods, remains without a functioning boiler to heat the building, presenting “a major concern” with temperatures in the region expected to rapidly cool in September and October, the governor wrote in his appeal letter.

Officials in Western Maryland have said that their local governments don’t have enough money to absorb the multimillion-dollar cost of recovering and rebuilding after the floods. Local governments would likely have to begin borrowing money if they have to spend beyond a certain threshold to cover the emergency response.

“Without federal aid, essential systems will remain at risk,” David Caporale, president of the Allegany County Board of County Commissioners, said in a statement. “This is not simply a matter of convenience; these are lifelines for public safety, commerce, and the daily functioning of our community.”