04.07.11

Hoeven Again Urges FEMA to Move Quickly on Presidential Disaster Declaration

FEMA Administrator Fugate Indicates Request Moving Through the Process

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senator John Hoeven today again called Federal Emergency Management Administrator Craig Fugate to urge quick approval of the state’s request for a Presidential Disaster Declaration. Although Fugate said he couldn’t say exactly when the request would be signed, he did say it is moving through the process. 

Hoeven asked Fugate about the impact of a federal government shutdown on FEMA’s response capabilities, and Fugate said it shouldn’t be affected. FEMA’s disaster response is funded by the federal Disaster Relief Fund, which is an exempt budget and not an annual program. 

The Administrator recommended that local officials identify the federal resources they need from agencies, including the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the U.S. Customs and Border Protection, and indicate where and when they need them so that FEMA is ready to go as soon as the declaration is approved.