Capito, Justice, Miller, Moore Support Major Disaster Declaration Request for West Virginia

CHARLESTON, W.Va. - Today, U.S. Senators Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.) and Jim Justice (R-W.Va.), and U.S. Representatives Carol Miller (R-W.Va.-01) and Riley Moore (R-W.Va.-02) joined together in sending a letter to President Donald J. Trump and FEMA Region 3 Regional Administrator Andre McCoy in support of Governor Patrick Morrisey's (R-W.Va.) request for an expedited Major Disaster Declaration for the State of West Virginia. The request follows the severe storms, tornadoes, and flooding across the state beginning last Tuesday, July 21, and would provide support for Barbour, Doddridge, Harrison, Lewis, Pleasants, Ritchie, and Upshur Counties.

"As members of the West Virginia Congressional Delegation, we write in strong support of Governor Patrick Morrisey's request for an expedited Major Disaster Declaration for the State of West Virginia following the severe storms, straight-line winds, tornadoes, flash flooding, and landslides that struck our state beginning on July 21, 2026," the West Virginia Congressional Delegation wrote.

"Our state and local officials responded immediately and decisively. First responders, emergency management personnel, law enforcement officers, members of the West Virginia National Guard, volunteer organizations, faith-based groups, and countless neighbors have worked tirelessly to protect lives and support recovery efforts. Despite these extraordinary efforts, the scope of this disaster exceeds the capacity of local governments and the State of West Virginia to recover without federal assistance," the West Virginia Congressional Delegation continued.

"Thank you for your consideration of this request and for your continued support of the people of West Virginia. We stand ready to work with your Administration, FEMA, and state and local officials to ensure these communities receive the assistance they need to recover and rebuild," the West Virginia Congressional Delegation concluded.

Full text of the letter can be found here and below:

Dear Mr. President and Regional Administrator McCoy,

As members of the West Virginia Congressional Delegation, we write in strong support of Governor Patrick Morrisey's request for an expedited Major Disaster Declaration for the State of West Virginia following the severe storms, straight-line winds, tornadoes, flash flooding, and landslides that struck our state beginning on July 21, 2026.

This disaster has left a profound impact on communities across Barbour, Doddridge, Harrison, Lewis, Pleasants, Ritchie, and Upshur Counties. Homes have been destroyed or rendered uninhabitable, roads and bridges have been damaged, businesses have been disrupted, and critical public infrastructure has sustained significant losses. Tragically, two West Virginians lost their lives, and countless others are now facing the difficult task of rebuilding their homes and their lives.

Our state and local officials responded immediately and decisively. First responders, emergency management personnel, law enforcement officers, members of the West Virginia National Guard, volunteer organizations, faith-based groups, and countless neighbors have worked tirelessly to protect lives and support recovery efforts. Despite these extraordinary efforts, the scope of this disaster exceeds the capacity of local governments and the State of West Virginia to recover without federal assistance. Joint Damage Assessments in Lewis and Upshur Counties alone highlight the catastrophic nature of this event, revealing 33 homes destroyed, 91 with major damage, 235 with minor damage, and 182 otherwise impacted. Using FEMA's Individual Households Program Cost Estimator, the initial assistance needs for just these two counties are nearly $4.9 million. Because full assessments across all requested counties are still underway, these figures capture only a fraction of the destruction, underscoring that the scale of unmet needs will grow substantially and far outpace state and local resources.

Federal Individual Assistance will provide critical support to families working to secure temporary housing, repair damaged homes, replace essential personal property, and begin rebuilding their lives. Likewise, Public Assistance is essential to help local governments restore emergency services, repair damaged infrastructure, remove debris, and safely reopen the public facilities on which these communities depend. Authorization of the Hazard Mitigation Grant Program will also help reduce future disaster risk by strengthening infrastructure and improving community resilience across West Virginia.

We appreciate FEMA's partnership with state and local officials as damage assessments continue. West Virginians are resilient and are doing everything possible to recover from this disaster, but the need for assistance is abundantly clear. For these reasons, we respectfully urge you to approve Governor Morrisey's request for a Major Disaster Declaration, including Individual Assistance for Barbour, Doddridge, Harrison, Lewis, Pleasants, Ritchie, and Upshur Counties; Public Assistance for Categories A through G in those counties; and the Hazard Mitigation Grant Program statewide.

Thank you for your consideration of this request and for your continued support of the people of West Virginia. We stand ready to work with your Administration, FEMA, and state and local officials to ensure these communities receive the assistance they need to recover and rebuild.

Sincerely,

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