Letter to Mr. William Craig Fugate, Administrator, Federal Emergency Management Agency

Letter

Mr. William Craig Fugate
Administrator
Federal Emergency Management Agency
500 C Street SW
Washington, DC 20472

Dear Mr. Fugate,

Today I visited the town of Roundup in Musselshell county, which has recently been ravaged by flooding. During my visit, I saw dozens of homes and businesses with extensive damage. Residents asked me to ensure that FEMA is prepared to quickly provide assistance in response to any request from the State of Montana. Based on my meeting with county and local leaders, these are the top priorities that will need to be addressed during the disaster recovery:

1. Damage to the dike that runs through the town of Roundup. This will require expensive repairs which may require federal assistance.

2. Individual assistance. Most residents were not prepared for expensive flood damage to their homes. The State will likely request grants to help residents rebuild their homes and their lives following the devastating floods.

As you know, flooding has caused extensive damage elsewhere in Montana as well. Flooding damaged hundreds of homes on the Crow Indian Reservation. Communities across Fergus, Yellowstone, Musselshell, and Carbon counties are also facing damage to roads, bridges and homes. I understand that officials from your agency will soon begin a preliminary damage assessment to determine the value of damage thus far.

However, warmer weather forecast for this week is expected to cause more flooding around Montana. Glasgow, in particular, is at high risk of flooding. I urge you to take every possible step to ensure FEMA is able to quickly support the disaster recovery effort in Montana.

Thank you for your dedicated service to our country during this difficult time and your prompt consideration of this request.

Best regards,

Max Baucus

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