Letter to the Honorable R. David Paulison
The Honorable R. David Paulison
Undersecretary for Federal Emergency Management
Director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency
United States Department of Homeland Security
500 C Street, S.W.
Washington, D.C. 20472
Dear Mr. Paulison:
We write concerning a situation that continues to worsen as time passes. We know firsthand that power outages have occurred in Queens, New York especially in Astoria, Sunnyside, Woodside, Long Island City, and Hunters Point as well as reports of outages in other areas. Thousands of individuals, and an estimated 750 small businesses, have been affected and we are concerned about the long-tenn impact this could have on these heavily populated areas. Costs are anticipated to exceed several million dollars.
To date, the Governor has not made a declaration as a result of this incident. Nonetheless, under the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act, 42 U.S.C. 5121, ".. .the President may exercise any authority vested in him by... [the Stafford Act] with respect to an emergency when he detennines that an emergency exists for which the primary responsibility for response rests with the United States [.]"
While we are encouraging the Governor to make such a declaration in order to expedite state and federal assistance, we ask that the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) determine whether there is an appropriate federal role and whether the President may exercise his authority to issue an Emergency Declaration for the impacted areas. Further, in the event the damage assessments warrant a Major Disaster Declaration, we hope that grants and low-interest loans available under the Stafford Act will be made available to the affected individuals and businesses.
As the summer continues to put considerable pressure upon the power grids, we are concerned that this is only the beginning of critical situations like this. To that end, we ask that FEMA be prepared to provide assistance in the event the current situation worsens.
Our fellow citizens and small business owners have been suffering greatly and we want to make sure we are doing everything possible to provide much-needed relief in the coming days. We must also ensure minimal disruption to key infrastructure should this power outage worsen. We ask that you please respond to our inquiry about the potential for a Presidential Emergency or Major Disaster declaration as well as FEMA's preparatory actions in the event that there are additional risks of loss of life, property, and business.
We appreciate your attention to this important matter and ask that you consult with the Governor of New York to determine the next appropriate steps for the federal government. If you need additional information please do not hesitate to contact any of us about the current situation.
http://crowley.house.gov/news/record.asp?id=863