(LEX 18) — Governor Andy Beshear says he is checking in with the White House daily as tornado survivors wait for federal assistance that requires President Donald Trump's signature.
Will the president approve the assistance? Beshear says he hopes his conversation with Trump is a good indicator.
"The conversations have been good and very positive," Beshear said. "I hope that's a sign that they will sign off on the application for individual and public assistance because we certainly need their help," Beshear added.
Beshear shared details about his conversation with the president, noting that Trump expressed concern for Kentucky residents.
"[Trump] said he cared about the people of Kentucky, asked how bad it was, where we were on the death toll, asked for some other specifics, but he said he wanted to send his FEMA A-team here. I told him, in fact, the FEMA team he had on the ground from the other two natural disasters was operating very well," Beshear said.
The state submitted applications for individual and public assistance on Tuesday morning, but those require the president's signature to unlock FEMA funding and resources.
Despite political differences, Beshear praised FEMA's performance under the Trump administration, citing previous disaster responses in the state this year.
"I disagree with this president on a lot of things, but the FEMA operation on the ground under his administration has been good. In fact, it's been really good," Beshear said.
The governor advised tornado survivors to wait for presidential approval before applying for FEMA assistance, warning that applications submitted now would be denied. In the meantime, he recommended documenting damage with photos, gathering detailed information on damaged items, and working with insurance companies.
