U.S. Rep. Martha Roby (R-AL) on Tuesday voiced support for her home-state governor’s request that the Trump administration declare hurricane-ravaged counties in Alabama as agriculture disaster areas so that they may receive federal funding assistance.
“Today I sent a letter to Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue requesting that he declare the appropriate hurricane-damaged counties in AL-02 as agriculture disaster areas,” Rep. Roby posted Oct. 16 on Facebook, referring to her second congressional district.
“As I stated in the letter, Hurricane Michael’s torrential rains and high winds tore through parts of southeastern Alabama, and all areas in the state that were intensely impacted by this storm are in our district,” Roby told her constituents online. “The assessments on losses by individual farmers are ongoing, and I support Governor Kay Ivey’s request to have all appropriate resources available from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to assist in this effort.”
In her Oct. 16 letter sent to USDA Secretary Perdue, Rep. Roby detailed conditions on the ground in Wiregrass, Ala., where damage resulting from Hurricane Michael on Oct. 12 allowed her “to see firsthand the devastation this storm brought to Alabama’s Second District.”
The congresswoman noted that agriculture is the economic backbone for her state, “especially in southeast Alabama.”
Rep. Roby told the secretary that she remains committed to helping the state’s farmers, according to her letter, which also was posted on Facebook.
Alabama farmers should receive “the most fitting and best available assistance from USDA during this trying time,” the lawmaker wrote.