WASHINGTON – Senator Chuck Grassley today sent a letter asking President George W. Bush to grant a request made by the State of Iowa for emergency assistance because of the major snowstorm that hit Iowa February 28 – March 1.
“The snowstorm paralyzed much of Iowa just as it was recovering from a major ice storm. I’ve heard of roads in western Iowa that are just now getting cleared and the result is a difficult road to travel on,” Grassley said. “I hope the President will quickly assess the need and grant approval so Iowans can get back to normal as soon as possible.”
The law requires that federal disaster assistance first be requested by the governor. Then, Iowa’s congressional delegation may ask for the request to be granted by the federal government.
Specifically, the Governor is asking for emergency assistance for snow removal for certain counties as well as emergency assistance for several counties due to the high winds and extraordinarily high snow drifts.
On Wednesday, the President already declared Iowa a major disaster area due to the winter storms that hit the state between February 23 and March 2.
On March 2, Grassley hand delivered a letter to the White House asking the President to grant a request made by the State of Iowa to declare Iowa a federal disaster area because of the two major winter storms.
Also, on February 28, he
convinced the Secretary of the Treasury to give a break to Iowa farmers who were unable to file their taxes by the March 1 deadline due to winter storm damage.
Grassley had made the case to Secretary Hank Paulson during a breakfast meeting. Then, that afternoon the Internal Revenue Service issued special instructions that all farmers hit by the storm who were unable to file their taxes by the deadline could request a winter ice storm waiver from the IRS for the penalty that they would otherwise incur.
Here is a copy of Grassley’s letter to the President.
March 15, 2007
The Honorable George W. Bush
President of the United States of America
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20500
Dear Mr. President:
I respectfully ask that you grant the request made yesterday by Governor Culver for an emergency declaration for the State of Iowa as a result of a major snow storm beginning on February 28, 2007 and continuing through March 1, 2007. This inclement weather hit Iowa as it was still trying to recover from previous severe winter storms. The Governor determined that this incident is of such severity and magnitude that effective response is beyond the capabilities of the State and affected local governments to handle effectively and federal assistance is needed.
Thank you for your prompt consideration of this request.
Sincerely,
Charles E. Grassley
United States Senator