Associated Press Published

State Money Issues Could Hamper Flood Recovery


West Virginians who are trying to rebuild their lives from last month’s severe floods could be almost completely reliant on federal agencies.

The Charleston Gazette-Mail reports that the state’s role in helping homeowners, businesses and local governments rebuild from last month’s deadly floods could be limited by slumping tax revenue and budget constraints.

Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin said at a news conference Wednesday that he hopes the state’s Rainy Day Fund will be used to cover 25 percent of the costs of rebuilding public buildings and other infrastructure. The Federal Emergency Management Agency will cover the other 75 percent.

In terms of repairing the estimated 2,500 damaged houses though, Tomblin says his administration is not considering spending any additional money to supplement the federal disaster relief funding.