Dyson and Bohanan Call on Ehrlich to Declare St. Mary's a Disaster Area


Today, Roy Dyson, Senator, District 29, and John L. Bohanan, Jr., Delegate, District 29-B, released the following open letter to Maryland Governor Ehrlich. In it they make note of the serious level of destruction to the Scotland area as a result of Tropical Depression/Storm Ernesto and the subsequent lack of acknowledgement of said destruction. They further call on the Governor to declare St. Mary’s County a disaster area in order that residents can take advantage of state and federal assistance.

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

Featured Sponsor

Steve Atkocius - Purple Post Real Estate
We are everywhere you want to live!

Reader Comments

Featured Sponsor

St. Mary's Nursing Center
Long-term care and rehabilitation facility located in beautiful St. Mary's Co. in Southern Maryland.

Need Legal Representation?

Five So. Maryland locations to serve you. Personal Injury, Criminal Defense, DUI Defense.

Follow SoMd HL News