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Miami, FL – U.S. Senators Marco Rubio (R-FL) and Bill Nelson (D-FL) are calling on Senate leaders to include additional funding for Hurricane Irma in a $7.85 billion disaster aid package the House passed earlier today specifically for Hurricane Harvey. The inclusion of funding for Hurricane Irma would take into account the likely costs FEMA will incur as this powerful hurricane approaches Florida.
“Hurricane Irma is now one of the most powerful hurricanes ever recorded in the Atlantic Ocean and is currently on track to make landfall in South Florida as early as Sunday,” states the senators’ letter. “This massive category-5 storm has the potential to cause catastrophic destruction throughout the state and we are deeply concerned that the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) will not have the resources it needs to respond if Congress doesn’t act soon.”
The full text of the senators’ letter is below.
September 6, 2017
The Honorable Mitch McConnell
Majority Leader
S-230, U.S. Capitol
Washington, DC 20510
The Honorable Charles Schumer
Minority Leader
S-221, U.S. Capitol
Washington, DC 20510
Dear Majority Leader McConnell and Minority Leader Schumer,
Hurricane Irma is now one of the most powerful hurricanes ever recorded in the Atlantic Ocean and is currently on track to make landfall in South Florida as early as Sunday. This massive category-5 storm has the potential to cause catastrophic destruction throughout the state and we are deeply concerned that the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) will not have the resources it needs to respond if Congress doesn’t act soon.
As of right now, FEMA is scheduled to run out of money by Friday, Sept. 8, just two days before Hurricane Irma is expected to hit Florida. Unfortunately, the current disaster relief package Congress is considering for Hurricane Harvey doesn’t account for the additional costs FEMA will likely incur as a result of Hurricane Irma. In fact, according to FEMA, even with the Harvey supplemental aid package, FEMA is likely to run out of funds before the end of September.
As Floridians are preparing for one of the worst storms on record, they need to know that the federal government is both ready and willing to direct the necessary resources needed to help them in the recovery process. As such, we strongly urge you to include additional funding in the Hurricane Harvey aid package to account for the additional costs FEMA will likely incur responding to Hurricane Irma.
Thank you for your prompt attention to this matter.
Sincerely,