{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://thompson.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/thompson-colleagues-urge-president-biden-declare-major-disaster", "Thompson, Colleagues Urge President Biden to Declare  Major Disaster Declaration After Severe Flooding and Storms", "2024-08-26", "2024", "2024-08", "Republican", "House", "PA", "Glenn Thompson", "T000467", "thompson.house.gov", "thompson", "https://thompson.house.gov/media-center/press-releases", "scraper", "HOWARD, Pa. \u2013 U.S. Representative Glenn \"GT\" Thompson (PA-15) and a bicameral group of Members of Congress sent a letter to President Biden urging him to approve a request by Governor Josh Shapiro for a major disaster declaration for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. The Members pressed the President to provide swift assistance to the counties across the Commonwealth that experienced severe storms and flooding earlier this month. If granted, the declaration would help Pennsylvanians cover their expenses and needs as they recover from Tropical Storm Debby\u2019s damages.\n\n\u201cIndividual Assistance from the federal government is critical for helping households and individuals cover uninsured or underinsured expenses and needs as they recover from Tropical Storm Debby\u2019s damages. [\u2026] It is already evident that multiple counties have been severely impacted, leaving many people displaced, particularly some of our most vulnerable Pennsylvanians. To expedite the Commonwealth\u2019s efforts to rebuild and move forward, we ask that you approve Governor Shapiro\u2019s request swiftly,\u201d the Members wrote.\n\nIn addition to Representative Thompson , the letter was signed by: U.S. Senators Bob Casey (PA) and John Fetterman (PA) and U.S. Representatives Chrissy Houlahan (PA-6), Matt Cartwright (PA-8), Madeleine Dean (PA-4), and Susan Wild (PA-7).\n\nFull text of the letter to President Biden is below and can be found HERE.\n\nDear Mr. President:\n\nIn August of 2024, remnants of Tropical Storm Debby moved across the Commonwealth, bringing severe storms and flooding to Pennsylvania. Multiple counties experienced damage as a result of the storm, and many Pennsylvanians are now experiencing hardship as they navigate the path toward recovery. Governor Josh Shapiro has authorized the use of state resources to support immediate recovery efforts and has requested that you authorize Individual Assistance to help eligible individuals and households impacted by the storms and flooding. We support Governor Shapiro\u2019s request and we ask for immediate action that you act to provide federal aid to the Commonwealth.\n\nTo support recovery efforts in affected communities, Governor Shapiro issued a disaster declaration for 28 counties, authorizing $5 million in state funding immediately available for initial response and authorizing state agencies to deploy additional resources and personnel. While these measures taken by Governor Shapiro will support immediate relief efforts, it is likely the Commonwealth will require additional resources to sufficiently address the damage and support the long-term recovery of impacted communities. Individual Assistance from the federal government is critical for helping households and individuals cover uninsured or underinsured expenses and needs as they recover from Tropical Storm Debby\u2019s damages. To expedite the Commonwealth\u2019s efforts to rebuild and move forward, we ask that you approve Governor Shapiro\u2019s request swiftly.\n\nThe Commonwealth is currently working on a joint preliminary damage assessment to better understand the scope of damages resulting from the August storms and flooding. However, we understand that it is already evident that multiple counties have been severely impacted, leaving many people displaced, particularly some of our most vulnerable Pennsylvanians. As the Commonwealth collects more information regarding the damages and needs of these communities, we ask that your administration provide the necessary support should the damage assessments make them eligible for additional assistance, particularly to assist with damage to core infrastructure.\n\nTo accelerate Pennsylvania\u2019s recovery, we urge you to approve Governor Shapiro\u2019s current major disaster declaration request and to work with the Commonwealth as officials collect more information on the damages and repair needs that have resulted from Tropical Storm Debby. Thank you for your consideration.", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-07T21:36:13Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://thompson.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/thompson-colleagues-urge-president-biden-declare-major-disaster"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 4.051099997013807, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}