After initially denying Virginia disaster assistance for those whose property was damaged in the August earthquake, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) approved Gov. Robert McDonnell’s second request for aid. The Governor’s appeal included a two-page letter from the state’s legislative delegation, including Rep. Eric Cantor, who at one point controversially demanded FEMA aid be offset by federal budget cuts.

A statement from FEMA said “the President’s action makes federal funding available to affected individuals in Louisa County.”

In his appeal, McDonnell said the damage from the quake had grown to $22 million, more than double the initial $9 million estimate in Virginia’s September request. From the Washington Post:

McDonnell said damage has been reported to more than 1,400 homes, the number rising after each aftershock. He said that since his Sept. 20 request for individual aid, damage has been reported to more than 400 additional homes.

“We are very grateful,” said Louisa County Administrator Robert Dube. “Our citizens need the help badly.”

He said damage to individual homes was estimated at more than $18 million.
Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.) called the decision “the best news I’ve heard in some time.”

“This is very welcome news for homeowners and business people in Louisa,” Warner said in a statement. “Approval of this federal assistance will provide access to low-interest loans and other aid that can help individuals rebuild and recover from the damage caused by a rare, once-in-a-generation 5.8-magnitude earthquake.”

On a separate note, FEMA has denied Virginia’s request for aid to help the state recover from Tropical Storm Lee. In September, flooding from the storm caused extensive damage to homes and businesses in the state.