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Gov. Wes Moore releases statement after disaster aid denied for Western Maryland


Allegany County suffered flooding between May 12 - May 14, 2025. (WBFF)
Allegany County suffered flooding between May 12 - May 14, 2025. (WBFF)
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Gov. Wes Moore released a statement after President Donald Trump denied disaster assistance for Western Maryland, which suffered heavy floods and damage earlier this year.

FOX45 spoke to frustrated residents in Allegany County following the historic flood between May 12 and May 14.

At that time, Social media posts targeted Moore and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), with comments such as "WHERE'S OUR STYLING AND PROFILING GOVERNOR" and "DON'T EXPECT FEMA'S HELP."

Now, over two months later, FEMA assistance was denied.

You can read the full statement from Moore below:

The devastating floods that hit Western Maryland in May clearly met disaster assistance criteria established by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). These communities demonstrated a clear need through FEMA’s own process, and Maryland will appeal the decision to seek all available resources to support the recovery efforts.
A stationary low-pressure system in the Ohio River Valley produced extreme rainfall between May 12 and May 14, causing Georges Creek to reach a near-record level of 12.41 feet, overflowing into several towns in Allegany County. Rising waters forced evacuations in both Garrett and Allegany counties.
I requested federal disaster assistance for Allegany and Garrett counties on June 13. The request followed a swift and comprehensive assessment involving an in-depth review of damage costs, community impact and site visits to secure federal support as quickly as possible. Through the coordinated assessment process, FEMA, the Maryland Department of Emergency Management, and local officials estimated more than $15.8 million in emergency response costs and damage to infrastructure, including more than 200 homes, numerous businesses, roads and bridges, railroads, sewer systems, drinking water, and public utilities.
These estimates are above and beyond the thresholds for disaster assistance set by FEMA. Historically, if the joint damage assessment process demonstrates eligible costs over and above the county and State indicator, disaster assistance has been awarded by the President. Allegany County’s threshold for FEMA Public Assistance is $321,460 and Maryland’s is $11,674,953.
The State of Maryland immediately took action to make funding available directly to residents and businesses to assist with recovery. The Maryland Department of Emergency Management awarded Allegany County $459,375 from the State Disaster Recovery Fund on June 10. An additional $1 million was made available to Allegany and Garrett counties through the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program. We will continue to stand with our fellow Marylanders in Western Maryland as they rebuild from the damage caused in May.


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