Local Rep. And House Majority Extends Gov.'s Ida Disaster Emergency Order To Oct. 27

PENNSYLVANIA — An area lawmaker was part of a bipartisan legislative majority on Tuesday who voted to extend Gov. Tom Wolf's disaster emergency declaration stemming from widespread damage caused by Hurricane Ida three weeks ago.

Rep. Todd Stephens, R-151, was among those Pennsylvania House members who unanimously voted to extend the governor's emergency declaration until Oct. 27.

The concurrent resolution, House Resolution 139, was necessary because voters approved back in May a constitutional amendment requiring legislative approval to extend a governor's emergency declaration beyond 21 days.

Stephens, whose district includes the communities of Horsham and Upper, which were hit extremely hard by Hurricane Ida, had been a cosponsor of the resolution that was earlier introduced by fellow House member Shelby Labs, R-Bucks County.

"The communities of Upper Dublin and Horsham are still struggling to recover from the destruction caused by the powerful winds and rain," Stephens said in a statement. "That's why I pushed so hard for this extension. We need time to return to normalcy."

The remnants of Hurricane Ida dumped up to eight inches of rain in some areas, left 389 Pennsylvania roads closed, and caused the shutdown of 15 major interstates, highways and expressways, according to Stephens' office.

The winds caused by tornadoes that were spawned by Ida additionally caused damage, bringing down power lines and trees, and causing an interruption of electrical service to thousands of households, according to Stephens.

In Upper Dublin, a powerful tornado ripped the roof of the township's municipal complex, which houses government offices and the police department.

Gov. Wolf declared a disaster emergency on Aug. 31 due to the storm's effects.

"As the governor's emergency order expired Tuesday, it is our responsibility to extend it to fully allow residents and local businesses the time to assess and apply for all the financial help they are entitled to," Stephens said in his statement.

The House resolution will now move to the Pennsylvania Senate for a vote.

Meanwhile, some Senate democratic legislators had advocated for a greater extension of the emergency order, until Nov. 29, to match a request from Wolf in his original letter asking for the legislative extension, according to a report in the Pennsylvania Capital-Star.

However, Senate leadership said Wolf has since agreed that problems could be addressed within the timeframe proposed by the House, according to the article.

The report stated that Hurricane Ida caused $117 million in property damage across the commonwealth.