CHARLESTON, W.Va. — U.S. Shelley Moore Capito will meet with FEMA Region III administrator MaryAnn Tierney in Charleston Friday to discuss efforts to speed up the permitting process for replacement schools for buildings destroyed in the June 2016 flood.
Both Capito and U.S. Senator Joe Manchin have been questioning FEMA of late about the pace of environmental studies and other requirements for the proposed sites in Kanawha and Nicholas counties.
Capito invited Tierney to West Virginia for a visit.
“We’re having a meeting to get the latest updates on the schools,” Capito said Thursday on MetroNews “Talkline.” “We’re really amping up the pressure here to get through this regulatory mess.”
FEMA will pay for the replacements of Herbert Hoover High School and Clendenin Elementary in Kanawha County and Richwood middle and high schools and Summersville Middle School in Nicholas County.
“We know the money that’s coming from FEMA is there, they’re going to pay for the schools, we need to get them off the ground,” Capito said. “People are frustrated. We’ve heard not only from citizens but also a lot of local representatives, state delegates, state senators, as well who are concerned.”