On Friday, Gov. Joe Manchin requested a federal disaster declaration that would provide assistance to several counties affected by a February 5 winter storm that brought record or near-record snowfall, severely hampered transportation and left thousands of West Virginians without electricity.

“This storm caused significant damage to much of our state,” says Manchin. “West Virginians have experienced a tough winter this year, and this storm made daily routines difficult for many of our citizens for several days. We are working our congressional delegation to ensure a quick response and I thank them for their support and efforts.”

The counties included in the request are: Berkeley, Brooke, Doddridge, Hampshire, Hancock, Hardy, Jefferson, Marion, Marshall, Morgan, Ohio, Pocahontas, Preston, Ritchie, Tucker, Tyler and Wetzel.

Initial damage estimates total about $3 million, and the Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management is working with FEMA public assistance to identify additional storm recovery costs.

As more information is gathered in the coming days, Manchin could request additional counties be added to the federal disaster declaration.

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