Va. Governor Seeks Disaster Aid for 25 Towns Hit by Ernesto

Twenty-five Virginia localities need federal disaster declarations entitling them to government aid for damage from Tropical Depression Ernesto, Gov. Timothy M. Kaine said in a letter to President Bush.

Virginia incurred an estimated $104 million in damage from the storms that began Aug. 29, Kaine wrote in his Friday letter to the White House.

Kaine has asked Bush to extend federal individual assistance to residents in Accomack, Gloucester, Lancaster, Mathews, Middlesex and Northumberland counties and the cities of Hampton, Newport News, and Richmond.

He seeks help for local governments covering the costs of cleanup, repair and recovery in the same localities plus Caroline, Charles City, Dinwiddie, Essex, Isle of Wight, James City, King William, New Kent, Northampton, Richmond, Southampton, Surry, Sussex, Westmoreland and York counties and the city of Poquoson.