As incessant rain and the resultant flooding and mudslides wreaked havoc on Philadelphia and the surrounding region on Thursday, Congressman Chaka Fattah urged Congress to forgo politics and ensure that the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has the resources it needs to continue providing disaster relief to storm-struck areas.

“FEMA has been doing an excellent job.  But it requires additional resources to respond to this series of storms and to replenish its reserves for the next unanticipated emergency,” said Fattah, who joined Congressman Patrick Meehan and dozens of other members at a Thursday morning briefing with FEMA chief Craig Fugate. 

Fattah continued: “It is the clear responsibility of the Congress, beyond politics, to provide the disaster relief resources required by FEMA to meet the critical needs of our citizens, businesses and communities in the wake of these storms.  I told the Administrator that this is the least that Americans expect when disaster strikes.”

Heavy overnight rains resulted in floods and mudslides that closed at least 28 stretches of state road Thursday morning.  The Schuylkill Expressway and part of Roosevelt Boulevard was shut down for much of the morning.  Governor Tom Corbett cancelled a speech at the Marcellus Shale conference in Philadelphia.