Photo by beerboybeltsbrews

President Obama issued a federal disaster declaration for D.C. yesterday, allowing the city to apply to federal assistance to cover costs associated with the clean-up and recovery in the wake of the June 29 derecho storm. Virginia and West Virginia have received similar declarations. The declaration states:

Federal funding is available to the District of Columbia and certain private nonprofit organizations on a cost-sharing basis for emergency work and the repair or replacement of facilities damaged by the severe storms in the District of Columbia.

Federal funding is also available on a cost-sharing basis for hazard mitigation measures in the District of Columbia.

Mayor Vince Gray formally requested the declaration the week after the storm, saying that D.C. needed assistance in covering the cleanup from the storm. The derecho knocked out power to over 70,000 Pepco customers in D.C., downed trees and felled power lines.

“My thanks to President Obama for granting our request for a disaster declaration, thus making the District eligible for federal aid,” said Gray in a statement. “This assistance will help us recoup some of the millions of dollars of expenses the city incurred in ensuring that our streets were safe and our residents had food, water and shelter after the storms.”