Perry Asks Obama To Reconsider West Denial
AUSTIN (AP) - Gov. Rick Perry is asking federal officials to reconsider their denial of major disaster aid to the Texas town stricken by a deadly fertilizer blast.
Perry sent a letter Tuesday to President Barack Obama on behalf of the town of West, where 15 people died in the April plant explosion. The Federal Emergency Management Agency declined last month to grant West a major disaster declaration.
Perry says West sustained damage exceeding $35 million, with millions more in long-term recovery costs. West's school district is tens of millions of dollars short after losing parts of three buildings in the blast.
The city's water and sewer systems were severely damaged, and hundreds of residents displaced.
FEMA has said it believes state and local agencies have enough money to cover rebuilding costs.
(© Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)
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