President Bush Declares State of Emergency in the District of Columbia for the Presidential Inauguration

Remember how Mayor Fenty and Govs. O'Malley and Kaine were begging the feds for more assistance to cover the costs of the 56th Presidential Inauguration? Well today, President Bush stepped up to the plate, at least for Fenty, and formally declared a state of emergency in the District for the inaugural events. From the press release:

The President today declared an emergency exists in the District of Columbia and ordered federal aid to supplement the District's response efforts in support of the 56th Presidential Inauguration. The declaration makes available funding and support for the purposes of ensuring the District of Columbia and the federal government are optimally prepared and postured to respond to the 56th Presidential Inauguration, beginning on January 17 through January 21.

The President's action authorizes the Department of Homeland Security, Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), to provide appropriate assistance for certain emergency protective measures, authorized under Title V of the Stafford Act. FEMA will also be authorized and prepared to coordinate any necessary response efforts, should an emergency arise. Specifically, assistance is available to the District for emergency protective measures that are undertaken to save lives and protect public health and safety. Direct Federal assistance, at 100 percent federal funding will be provided during the period of January 17-21, 2009, and reimbursement of emergency protective measures (Category B), under the Public Assistance program, at 100 percent federal funding for work performed on January 20, 2009. FEMA will reimburse for eligible emergency protective measures performed on January 20, 2009, only if the District has expended on the Presidential Inauguration during the period of January 17-21, 2009, the $15 million appropriated to it for "Emergency Planning and Security Costs" by the Continuing Appropriations Resolution 2009, P.L. 110-329.

FEMA Administrator David Paulison named Donald L. Keldsen the federal coordinating officer for federal coordination operations in the District of Columbia.

The Presidential Inauguration has been designated as a National Security Special Event (NSSE) by the Department of Homeland Security. FEMA's role is to be prepared to respond to a natural disaster, acts of terrorism and other man-made disasters.

Given recent history, the involvement of FEMA in any city-wide disaster/event is worth a joke/shudder or two, but the long and the short of this announcement is that the District government may now rest easy that it will be reimbursed for most of its inauguration-related expenses that go over the current budget, including the massive bills for security and transportation. No such luck for Maryland or Virginia, at least not yet, as neither state was addressed in the declaration.

In addition to the guarantee of reimbursement, the announcement also says that FEMA has activated its National Response Coordination Center and Regional Response Coordination Center for the region, and is dispatching 200 FEMA employees to support the Inauguration.

The Post has their story up as well.