West Virginia to Receive More Funds for 2016 Flood Recovery

President Donald Trump has increased the federal share of costs to help West Virginia recover from floods that ravaged the state in June 2016.

Gov. Jim Justice’s office said Friday that Trump approved his request to increase the federal share from 75% to 90% for public assistance projects.

A recent award of $131.7 million in Federal Emergency Management Agency funds to rebuild two Nicholas County schools helped the state meet the threshold for a cost-share increase, the governor’s office said.

Covered costs include emergency expenses, debris removal and infrastructure repair.

The increase falls under a major disaster declaration by former President Barack Obama in 2016 after the floods killed 23 people and damaged hundreds of buildings in the state.