Ohio Gov. John Kasich on Monday reconsidered his rejection of federal help in tornado-stricken communities and asked federal inspectors to assess the damage as soon as possible.
A team from the Federal Emergency Management Agency is expected to arrive Tuesday in Clermont County to survey the storm damage and determine whether the region qualifies for financial or logistical assistance.
“Hopefully we can get a quick answer from the federal inspectors on what additional resources might be available to help people begin recovering,” Kasich said.
The decision to invite the inspectors came two days after Kasich said he would not seek immediate federal disaster relief because he was confident Ohio could handle the crisis.
Rob Nichols, a spokesman for the governor, said the decision to invite FEMA was made after Kasich reviewed the findings of state emergency management officials and developed “a firm understanding of the problem.” Nichols said Kasich had never ruled out asking for federal help but wanted to wait until state inspectors had done their own assessment.
I'm sure the public outcry had nothing to do with it, either. Time to total reversal: less than 48 hours. his spokesman went from "We're thrilled we don't need federal help" to "we never ruled it out." Ohio, Gov. Kasich thinks you're just plain stupid.
It's great that Clermont County is getting help. It should have never been in doubt.
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