Governor Larry Hogan Requests Federal Disaster Declaration in Response to Historic January Winter Storm

ANNAPOLIS, MD (February 19, 2016) — Governor Larry Hogan today requested that President Barack Obama declare a Presidential Disaster Declaration for the State of Maryland as a result of the winter storm that affected the state beginning on January 22, 2016. An approved disaster declaration would bring federal assistance to communities in Maryland through state and local agencies and public safety partners that served them during the storm.

“We are requesting a disaster declaration in order to provide Maryland with all assistance available following the historic snowstorm we experienced last month,” said Governor Larry Hogan. “Throughout the storm, our administration and state agencies effectively and efficiently responded and Marylanders used common sense and stayed off the roads. Now we are taking steps to recover and ensure we are ready for any future storms.”

Maryland was severely impacted by this winter storm with many areas seeing historic snowfall totals, high winds, and freezing temperatures. Governor Hogan implemented a state of emergency and government agencies coordinated public safety actions and snow removal through the State Emergency Operations Center at the Maryland Emergency Management Agency (MEMA).

Governor Hogan designated MEMA as the state coordinating agency for the request. MEMA Executive Director Russell Strickland had previously sent a letter of intent for Maryland to pursue federal disaster assistance and to request that FEMA begin the coordination for joint damage assessments. This process occurred from February 2 through 17.

“MEMA worked closely with local governments and FEMA to jointly assess damages and costs incurred and initial estimates have validated the significant impact of this storm,” said MEMA Executive Director Russell Strickland.