Virginia lawmakers continue seeking federal help for Tazewell and Buchanan flood victims

Sep. 13—HURLEY, Va. — Virginia lawmakers wrote a letter Monday to President Joe Biden asking for the federal government to approve the Commonwealth of Virginia's request for a Major Disaster Declaration and federal assistance for individuals affected by the extreme and devastating rainfall event that occurred on July 13.

U.S. Senator's Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine, both D-VA, along with U.S. Rep. Morgan Griffith, R-VA-09, wrote a letter to President Biden formally requesting the approval of the Commonwealth of Virginia's request for a Major Disaster Declaration and federal assistance for individuals impacted by the July flood.

This request includes Individual and Public Assistance for Buchanan County, Public Assistance for Tazewell County and Hazard Mitigation for the Commonwealth of Virginia.

"This extreme storm event dropped 7 inches of rain on eastern Buchanan County and northwestern Tazewell County within several hours, which resulted in flash flooding that damaged waterlines, transmission lines, roads, bridges, homes, and businesses. The joint preliminary damage assessment found that this severe storm event destroyed 37 homes and caused significant damage to 54 other properties in Buchanan County," lawmakers told President Biden in their letter. "This major storm event comes less than a year after the community of Hurley, Va. — located in Buchanan County — experienced a devastating rainfall event that resulted in heavy flooding, landslides, and mudslides that destroyed 31 homes and resulted in major damage to 27 other properties, along with extensive damage to other public and private infrastructure."

"Our constituents in Buchanan County are still grappling with the aftermath of this devastating storm event, which resulted in a Major Disaster Declaration, and are now forced to respond to this debilitating storm event. Many residents in Buchanan County remain displaced from last year's extreme rainfall event and are already facing another uprooting of their lives," they continued. "The impact of these two natural disasters within a calendar year has severely stressed the resources and capabilities of the Commonwealth of Virginia and Buchanan County. We hope you consider this cumulative impact on this community as you review the Commonwealth's request for a Major Disaster Declaration."

In their letter, the lawmakers noted the particular need for Individual Assistance for Buchanan County and its residents, who have withstood multiple natural disasters within a year. The Administration's approval of a Major Disaster Declaration would provide a surge of federal resources and support, allowing Virginia to more quickly respond to and recover from the direct and indirect consequences caused by July's storm.

Sens. Warner and Kaine and Rep. Griffith said they have been pushing for federal assistance since the devastating floods of August 2021. In October 2021, they sent a bipartisan letter to President Biden to express their strong support for former Virginia Governor Ralph S. Northam's Sept. 30 request for a Major Disaster Declaration for the Commonwealth of Virginia and Buchanan County.

Later that month, President Biden approved Virginia's request for a Major Disaster Declaration, which provided Public Assistance for Buchanan County and Hazard Mitigation for the Commonwealth of Virginia. However, on Oct. 29, the Administration issued a formal denial of Governor Ralph Northam's request for Individual Assistance for Buchanan County. In December 2021, Warner, Kaine and Griffith sent a letter to President Biden asking his administration to approve an appeal that would grant federal assistance to individual residents in and around Hurley, Virginia. Despite these efforts, Virginia's appeal was ultimately denied in January 2022.

The letter submitted Monday to the president came after Warner visited Buchanan County on Aug. 22 and Kaine and Rep. Griffith visited the county on Aug. 26. All of the visits were scheduled so lawmakers could see the flooding's impact and hear from flood victims working to recover.

Delegate James W. "Will" Morefield, R-Tazewell, recently provided an update recently on the $11.4 million in grant assistance for the flood victims of Hurley that was approved in the state budget.

Morefield, R-Tazewell, announced last June that $11.4 million in grant assistance had been adopted in the state budget that was approved by the House and Senate.

The Guesses Fork area near Hurley was struck on the morning of Sept. 2, 2021 by a powerful flash flood. About 40 homes were seriously damaged or destroyed, and one person died.

"We are working diligently with the Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD) to establish the Hurley flood assistance program," Morefield stated. "I introduced an $11.4 million dollar budget amendment that was officially signed into law by the Governor in June.

"Typically most budgets are signed by the Governor in March but the General Assembly was unable to reach an agreement on the entire budget until June," he said.

"This further delayed the ability for DHCD to establish the program. We are doing everything that we possibly can to expedite this process. The flood victims of Hurley can absolutely be assured that help is on the way, but I fully understand the wait can be frustrating.

"I have asked DHCD to issue a press release as soon as they can to provide further details of the Hurley program. My heart goes out to the flood victims of Hurley and to those recently affected by flooding in July," Morefield said. "We are currently waiting for FEMA's response to Governor Youngkin's request for assistance on the most recent flooding and will continue to monitor the situation."

Contact Greg Jordan at gjordan@bdtonline.com