WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Roger Wicker, R-Miss., today thanked President Donald J. Trump for approving Mississippi Governor Tate Reeves’s request for a federal disaster declaration in the wake of devastating storms that passed through the state on Easter Sunday.

“I want to thank President Donald Trump for approving Mississippi's emergency declaration yesterday,” Wicker said. “The entire Mississippi congressional delegation – Democrat and Republican – endorsed this request, and I'm pleased to see the President immediately responded.”

The decision, announced late Thursday night, follows a letter from Senator Wicker and the entire Mississippi congressional delegation urging the President to approve the governor’s request without delay.

The damage from the April 12 storms has put an additional strain on the state’s emergency response capability in the midst of the coronavirus epidemic, warranting an expedited federal response. Now that the disaster declaration has been approved, state and local officials will have access to additional federal resources to supplement recovery efforts.

Wicker also thanked emergency personnel for their immediate response to the storm and shared his condolences for the 14 Mississippi residents who lost their lives.

“I want to thank the MEMA personnel and all of our emergency responders for the great work they've done,” Wicker said. “Of course, we lost 14 Mississippians – the largest number of all the Easter storms across the country – and our heart goes out to the family and friends of these victims today.”

Mississippians who have experienced damage to their property as a result of the Easter storms are encouraged to self-report this information to MEMA online at msema.org.