Photo by beerboybeltsbrews

In the wake of last Friday’s derecho storm, Mayor Vince Gray has requested that President Obama issue a presidential disaster declaration, which would allow D.C. to seek reimbursement from the federal government for certain costs associated with cleanup and recovery.

In a letter signed and dated on the day he arrived back in the U.S. after a week-long business trip to China, Gray cited ongoing power outages, extreme heat and an extensive cleanup effort—as of June 30, he said, 128 tons of debris had been removed from D.C. streets and sidewalks—as reasons for his request. He specifically requested federal assistance in removing debris and “Emergency Protective Measures” to deal with downed power lines.

D.C. declared a state of emergency on June 30, and the city has extended police schedules, kept flexible scheduling at D.C. facilities so they could double as cooling centers and sent crews to pick up everything from downed branches to spoiled food.

Federal disaster declarations were issued for D.C. last year after the August earthquake and in the wake of September’s Hurricane Irene.