Sens. Portman, Brown Urge President Trump to Swiftly Accept Ohio’s Disaster Declaration

WASHINGTON, March 28 -- The office of Sen. Rob Portman, R-Ohio, issued the following news release:

U.S. Sens. Rob Portman (R-OH) and Sherrod Brown (D-OH) urged President Trump to act swiftly on Governor John Kasich's request for a Presidential Disaster Declaration for 19 Ohio counties impacted by severe flooding, including Adams, Athens, Belmont, Brown, Clermont, Columbiana, Gallia, Hamilton, Jackson, Lawrence, Meigs, Monroe, Muskingum, Noble, Perry, Pike, Scioto, Vinton and Washington Counties. This declaration will help ensure that the impacted counties can access important federal assistance and resources to recover.

"Severe storms and extreme rainfall last month in southern Ohio led to significant flooding, causing substantial damage to critical infrastructure, such as roads, bridges, and buildings. The State and local governments in the affected areas do not have the capability to sufficiently respond to this major disaster, and therefore, federal assistance is necessary to supplement the State's recovery efforts," wrote Portman and Brown in a letter to Trump today.

Full text of the letter is below and available HERE: https://www.portman.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?a=files.serve&File_id=02937D3F-0980-4D02-A17F-F4C0AD7AE252

Dear Mr. President:

We write to urge you to act swiftly on the request by Ohio Governor John Kasich for a Presidential Disaster Declaration for 19 counties in Ohio.

Severe storms and extreme rainfall last month in southern Ohio led to significant flooding, causing substantial damage to critical infrastructure, such as roads, bridges, and buildings. The State and local governments in the affected areas do not have the capability to sufficiently respond to this major disaster, and therefore, federal assistance is necessary to supplement the State's recovery efforts.

We fully support Governor Kasich's request and urge your prompt consideration. Thank you for your attention to this urgent matter.

Thank you,

Senator Rob Portman

Senator Sherrod Brown