Letter to President Obama - Disaster Relief

Letter

U.S. Senators John McCain (R-AZ) and Jeff Flake (R-AZ) today sent a letter to President Obama requesting that he "swiftly" consider Arizona Governor Jan Brewer's formal request for a federal major disaster declaration for the state of Arizona as a result of the damage caused by the Yarnell Hill Fire.

A copy of the letter is below.

July 9, 2013

The Honorable Barack Obama

President of the United States

The White House

1600 Pennsylvania Ave., NW

Washington, D.C. 20500

Dear Mr. President:

As you know, the Governor of Arizona, Jan Brewer, has made a formal request under Section 401 of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. §§ 5121-5207) that you declare a Major Disaster for the State of Arizona as a result of the Yarnell Hill Fire. We are writing to ask that you expeditiously consider this request.

The Yarnell Hill Fire was both a staggering loss of human life and a significant loss of property. Tragically, the Yarnell Hill Fire claimed the lives of 19 firefighters of the Prescott Fire Department's Granite Mountain Interagency Hotshot Crew. In addition, the Arizona Division of Emergency Management has identified a total of 109 homes destroyed by the fire, which accounts for approximately 20% of the homes in the unincorporated rural community of Yarnell, Arizona in Yavapai County.

We thank you for your attention to this matter, and your swift consideration of Governor Brewer's disaster declaration request.

Sincerely,

John McCain

Jeff Flake

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