Cong. Aderholt was in Sand Rock this past weekend to tour the area of devastation and says the update on the federal emergency declaration sought from the government is on the way.
“They (Alabama EMA officials) have gathered the information and sent it to the Washington office to FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency) and I think they may have just gotten it yesterday (Friday, Nov. 30),” said Cong. Aderholt. “So we should know as early as next week if the President grants a disaster status, which I would feel sure that he would based on what I’ve seen.”
Some 18 counties in Alabama were affected by the Nov. 24 tornadoes. Cong. Aderholt also toured other damage sites in addition to those in Cherokee County.
“I’ve been in Lamar, Fayette and Winston,” said Cong. Aderholt. “And today I’m doing Cherokee, Etowah and Blount. I think we could hear something as early as next week. We should know something as early as Monday or Tuesday of next week. Of course, when you are dealing with something like this, you never can know for sure.”
But Cong. Aderholt is confident that Alabama will receive the assistance.
“I would think so,” said Cong. Aderholt. “From what I’ve heard about this area, it sounds like it would definitely fall into that category. And we have sent a letter to the President telling him the extent of the damage here and asking him to look closely at this.”
Accompanying Cong. Aderholt was Mary Hudak with the FEMA office in Washington. FEMA can provide a variety of assistance, she said.
“Immediate assistance is provided at the local level,” said Hurdak. “That provided by the Red Cross and that provided by the state. And there are a variety of programs depending on the need. Some help local governments with things like cleaning up debris and opening roads and their emergency services and some help individuals. It really just depends on what that whole picture looks like once all that information gets to the President.
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