This June, historic flooding hit Washington and Allegany County. When the state decided not to apply for federal FEMA assistance, John Delaney wrote to the Governor, asking that he reconsider. Delaney’s letter to the state cited additional factors that FEMA can consider, factors which John argued could help local residents receive disaster relief.
Here’s what the Hagerstown Herald-Mail editorial board had to say:
A flood doesn’t have to happen in the city of Baltimore or in Montgomery or Prince George’s counties to have a crippling effect on families.
The one politician who did step up in defense of Western Maryland was Rep. John Delaney, who argued strongly for state and federal assistance. Delaney noted that Federal Emergency Management Agency can step in to communities that are predominantly low income or suffer from above-average unemployment.
Delaney is correct to criticize state leaders for failing to explore those potential options, and we wonder if our local state delegation wasn’t out there fighting for Clear Spring as well, why not? It is harder to argue that we are underrepresented when even our own resident lawmakers fail to step up.
All it would have taken was a state request for aid for Delaney to use his influence at the federal level to agitate for relief. Maybe he would have been successful, maybe not. But at least the people of Clear Spring would have had a chance.
To read the full editorial, click here.
For more coverage of John’s fight for flood assistance for his constituents, click here.