Fairfax County’s chairman has called for a Federal Emergency Management Agency spokesman to be “disciplined or removed from his position” after he was quoted as saying the county’s wealth was a factor in the decision to deny storm aid to individual Virginians.
FEMA has since denied that the decision to withhold federal grants and loans to homeowners in storm-ravaged areas of the state hinged on Fairfax County’s affluence. The agency’s statements come shortly after spokesman Dan Martinez was quoted in the Washington Post as calling Fairfax “an affluent community that’s able to address the specific needs of its residents.”
“Mr. Martinez’s outrageous remarks now stand as stated public policy of FEMA,” Board of Supervisors Chairman Gerald Connolly wrote in a letter to congressmen. “The implications of this are unacceptable.”
Martinez on Sunday said wealth did not impact the decision and that his words were misrepresented to imply that it did. Instead, he said the county’s capacity to handle storm recovery and the level of uninsured private damages led to the ruling.
He referred responses to Connolly’s remarks to a national FEMA spokesman, who did not comment.
“As an agency, we do not want to get [into a] one-on-one discussion with a local official,” said spokesman James McIntyre.
Meanwhile, Gov. Timothy M. Kaine has filed an appeal to the FEMA ruling, saying hundreds of residents are facing expensive repairs and losses.
The governor argued that the damages in the community of Huntington — the worst hit during the storm — “continue to present challenges to the state and local recovery agencies.” There, families with below-median incomes are still struggling with millions in uninsured damages from flooding.
Connolly could not be reached for comment Sunday.
