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Congressman Bob Latta (R-OH5) joined bipartisan members of the Ohio Congressional Delegation to send a letter to the President supporting Governor Mike DeWine’s request for a Presidential Major Disaster Declaration for the State of Ohio. 

On March 31, 2020, the President granted a Major Disaster Declaration for the State of Ohio triggering the release of Federal funds to help communities recover from COVID-19 that occurred January 20, 2020, and continuing.

This funding will help with:

• Management, control and reduction of immediate threats to public health and safety,
• Emergency medical care,
• Medical sheltering (example: when existing facilities are reasonably forecasted to become overloaded in the near future and cannot accommodate needs),
• Purchase and distribution of food, water, ice, medicine, and other consumable supplies, to include personal protective equipment and hazardous material suits,
• Movement of supplies and persons,
• Security and law enforcement,
• Communications of general health and safety information to the public,
• Search and rescue to locate and recover members of the population requiring assistance,
• Reimbursement for state, tribe, territory and/or local government force account overtime costs, and more.

More information about eligible emergency protective measures can be found in the Public Assistance Program and Policy Guide, HERE.

The full letter can be found below and HERE:

Dear Mr. President,

We write to urge you to act swiftly on the request by Ohio Governor Mike DeWine for a Presidential Major Disaster Declaration for the state of Ohio. 

COVID-19 has created significant and unprecedented challenges for state and local governments, businesses, individuals, and families in Ohio. The State and local governments do not have the capacity to sufficiently respond to this major disaster, and therefore, additional Federal assistance is necessary to supplement response and recovery efforts.

We fully support Governor DeWine’s request, and urge your prompt consideration. Thank you for your attention to this urgent matter.

Thank you,

The letter was signed by Senators Sherrod Brown and Rob Portman, Reps. Steve Chabot, Brad Wenstrup, Joyce Beatty, Jim Jordan, Robert E. Latta, Bill Johnson, Bob Gibbs, Warren Davidson, Marcy Kaptur, Mike Turner, Marcia L. Fudge, Troy Balderson, Tim Ryan, David Joyce, Steve Stivers, and Anthony Gonzalez. 

Congressman Latta encourages anyone who needs assistance to contact his office in Bowling Green at 419-354-8700. Ohioans living in the Fifth Congressional District can also call 419-318-8925 to leave a message and Congressman Latta’s team will respond as soon as possible. For up-to-date information, visit Congressman Latta’s website at www.latta.house.gov.

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