The State of Emergency in Delaware will be lifted at 6:00 pm this evening.
Markell: “Delaware Came Together in Service During the Storm” told Sec. Napolitano Del. Will Seek Federal Disaster Relief
Wilmington, DE – Governor Jack Markell Friday commended state, local, National Guard, non-profit and private sector workers for their efforts in two consecutive snow storms over the last week, and also announced his intention to apply for a federal disaster declaration.
The disaster declaration, which would allow for reimbursement of state and local costs in dealing with the storm as well as potential assistance for individuals and businesses who sustained damage, will be made in the coming weeks. For some expenses, the reimbursement for state and local governments is up to 75 percent. The Delaware Emergency Management Agency will conduct a formal assessment of damages and costs, including all expenditures by state and local governments. That review will commence next week.
“I spoke to Secretary of Homeland Security Napolitano while the snow was still falling and informed her we would be making a disaster application,” Gov. Markell said. “She told me the two storms over the last week will be treated as one event for this purpose, which provides encouragement that we will meet the requirements for disaster relief.”
Gov. Markell on Friday also thanked the many, many personnel around the state who have worked tirelessly to deal with the effects and aftereffects of the two snowstorms.
“There are so many stories across our great state of individuals who took that extra step this week to help a neighbor or even a stranger in need,” Markell said. “Delaware truly came together in a spirit of service during this storm.”
For example, members of the Delaware National Guard mobilized 600 Soldiers and Airmen, completed 700 missions, assisted more than 3,000 Delawareans by moving them to shelter, medical assistance, or safety (not all to shelters as many without power opted to stay with relatives or at a hotel). They assisted more than 1,000 stranded motorists. Their stories are just some of the tens of thousands of individual efforts to help the state through back-to-back blizzards.
“From the DelDOT employees who worked almost around the clock for a week, to the law enforcement, fire and emergency medical crews who had to keep responding to calls through snow drifts and high winds, to the National Guard members who were making plowing and rescue missions around the state, there were thousands of people involved in this effort. There were health workers arranging for dialysis treatments to continue and prescriptions to be delivered, facilities crews who repeatedly worked to keep offices open, and emergency operations folks not just for the state but in the counties and cities who have also been on duty almost constantly for a week,” Markell said. “The power companies that restored power to tens of thousands of homes, nonprofits like the Red Cross and SPCA that manned the shelters, the list goes on and on.”
“These storms were record-breaking and unprecedented,” he added. “Because of the work of all these people, Delaware came through. Thousands worked so long and so hard to keep our state running and get it back on its feet. They did a great job and deserve our thanks.”
