Press Releases
WASHINGTON, DC – Due to the total destruction of the town of Greensburg and the surrounding area following the tornados and severe weather of May 4, 2007, The Kansas congressional delegation, late last night, sent a letter to the President calling for the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to assume 100 percent of the costs of reconstruction. It is standard practice for FEMA to cover 75 percent of the costs.
U.S. Senator Pat Roberts, U.S. Senator Sam Brownback(R-KS), First District Congressman Jerry Moran (R-KS), Fourth District Congressman Todd Tiahrt (R-KS), Second District Congresswoman Nancy Boyda (D-KS) and Third District Congressman Dennis Moore (D-KS) all signed the letter in a strong show of support for victims of the storms. The following is the text of the letter dated May 16, 2007: The President The White House Washington, DC 20500 Dear President Bush: "We write to once again ask that your attention be directed to the destruction in Greensburg, Kansas and the surrounding area. As you know, these small communities were hit by a devastating tornado and associated storms on May 4, 2007. "Thanks to the prompt response of the National Guard, Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), local emergency responders and ordinary Kansans, Greensburg and towns like it have already begun to recover. Unfortunately, the residents affected by this storm are not able to salvage most of the structures in the town that were damaged or destroyed. Rather, these resilient individuals are committed to rebuilding their community from the ground up. "As you might imagine, this small Kansas community operates almost exclusively on their sales and property tax base, which will not be available for the foreseeable future. Unfortunately, the county does not have the funds to literally build a town from scratch and the state is stretched to the limit funding recovery from record blizzards that inundated Western Kansas this winter. "Mr. President, we thank you for the comfort and assistance you have provided these Kansas communities to date. We now request you authorize FEMA to cover 100 percent of the expenses that qualify for assistance being made available to residents. While we recognize this is above the standard 75 percent coverage, the damage that was done to the area is truly catastrophic. Thank you for your consideration."
