W.Va. residents denied storm assistance
CHARLESTON, W.Va. – The federal government has denied assistance for residents in six West Virginia counties hit by Superstorm Sandy.
Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin had requested individual assistance for residents of Fayette, Nicholas, Preston, Randolph, Tucker and Webster counties.
The state has 30 days to appeal. Governor’s office spokeswoman Amy Shuler Goodwin said Thursday that state officials plan to appeal and have been gathering additional materials for FEMA.
The October storm dumped more than 2 feet of snow in parts of the state, left seven people dead and knocked out electricity to more than a quarter-million customers, some for two weeks.
Last month President Barack Obama issued a disaster declaration to help local governments and certain nonprofit groups in 18 counties recover from Sandy-related damage.