The letter is reprinted in its entirety:
The Honorable Robert L. Ehrlich, Jr.
Governor of Maryland
Maryland State House
Annapolis, MD 21401
Dear Governor Ehrlich:
We want to call to your attention a serious situation in St. Mary’s County. On Friday, September 1st Tropical Depression Ernesto, with little to no warning as to its severity, pounded the western shore of the Chesapeake Bay and the lower tidal Potomac, particularly in St. Mary’s County. Winds that had been predicted at 25 miles per hour were in actuality in the 70-75 mile an hour range and the tidal surge was enormously higher than anticipated.
At the request of constituents in Scotland, Maryland, we visited the area on Sunday and were amazed at the level of devastation, as there was virtually no media coverage, no radio service, and very little communication from County officials. The destruction in this area was on a par with Hurricane Isabel, and up to this point no State emergency personnel (with the exception of a State Police helicopter fly-over) had been on site to assess the damage.
Since surrounding states declared states of emergency, perhaps you, like local residents were caught unaware of the severity of this storm. After a first-hand inspection, we urge you to declare St. Mary’s County a disaster area so that the hundreds of affected citizens can access disaster funding at both the federal and state level.
Sincerely,
Roy Dyson
Senator, District 29
John L. Bohanan, Jr.
Delegate, District 29-B
Governor of Maryland
Maryland State House
Annapolis, MD 21401
Dear Governor Ehrlich:
We want to call to your attention a serious situation in St. Mary’s County. On Friday, September 1st Tropical Depression Ernesto, with little to no warning as to its severity, pounded the western shore of the Chesapeake Bay and the lower tidal Potomac, particularly in St. Mary’s County. Winds that had been predicted at 25 miles per hour were in actuality in the 70-75 mile an hour range and the tidal surge was enormously higher than anticipated.
At the request of constituents in Scotland, Maryland, we visited the area on Sunday and were amazed at the level of devastation, as there was virtually no media coverage, no radio service, and very little communication from County officials. The destruction in this area was on a par with Hurricane Isabel, and up to this point no State emergency personnel (with the exception of a State Police helicopter fly-over) had been on site to assess the damage.
Since surrounding states declared states of emergency, perhaps you, like local residents were caught unaware of the severity of this storm. After a first-hand inspection, we urge you to declare St. Mary’s County a disaster area so that the hundreds of affected citizens can access disaster funding at both the federal and state level.
Sincerely,
Roy Dyson
Senator, District 29
John L. Bohanan, Jr.
Delegate, District 29-B