Governor Pete Ricketts met with the Federal Emergency Management Agency Regional Director Paul Taylor on Tuesday. During the meeting, Ricketts signed and submitted Nebraska’s expedited request to the federal government for disaster assistance. The request will be now be considered by FEMA’s regional office and headquarters.
Ricketts and Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds joining Vice President Mike Pence Tuesday afternoon to survey the devastation caused to both states by last week’s unprecedented weather event.
In addition, Ricketts along with Senators Deb Fischer and Ben Sasse and Congressmen Jeff Fortenberry, Don Bacon and Adrian Smith wrote a letter to President Donald Trump in support of Governor Ricketts’ request for a major disaster declaration for the state of Nebraska. The request follows what the governor has called “the most widespread disaster we’ve had in our state’s history.”
Starting on March 13, 2019, catastrophic weather events swept across Nebraska, resulting in 65 of the 93 counties declaring an emergency. The Nebraska Department of Agriculture estimates an initial loss of $400 million in livestock and fields alone. Additionally, hundreds of miles of state roads and 11 bridges will have to be replaced, equaling $200 million in damages initially projected by the Nebraska Department of Transportation.