Katie Britt leads Alabama delegation in letter asking President Trump to fast-track Isaias relief: ‘Early action made a real difference for our people’

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October 27, 2026

This weekend, U.S. Senator Katie Britt (R-Montgomery) led the entire Alabama congressional delegation in a letter to President Donald Trump backing Governor Kay Ivey’s request for a federal major disaster declaration after Hurricane Isaias.

Governor Ivey submitted the request Friday for 23 counties: Baldwin, Barbour, Butler, Choctaw, Clarke, Coffee, Conecuh, Covington, Crenshaw, Dale, Dallas, Escambia, Geneva, Henry, Houston, Lowndes, Marengo, Monroe, Perry, Pike, Sumter, Washington and Wilcox. It asks the Federal Emergency Management Agency to help local governments and eligible nonprofits cover storm costs and seeks Individual Assistance for affected households. Damage assessments are ongoing, and the state may add counties.

Isaias made landfall October 9 as a Category 2 hurricane with sustained winds of 105 mph and tracked across the southern half of the state. Two Alabamians died and nearly 300,000 customers lost power.

The Alabama Forestry Commission estimated $33.5 million in timber damage across Conecuh, Escambia and Monroe counties alone.

“We write in strong support of Governor Kay Ivey’s request for a major disaster declaration for the State of Alabama following Hurricane Isaias, and we respectfully urge you to approve it without delay,” the delegation wrote.

“Thank you for your swift approval of an emergency declaration for Alabama as the storm approached. That early action made a real difference for our people, and your continued partnership with the Federal Emergency Management Agency remains critical as our communities begin to rebuild.”

“Alabamians have met this storm the way they always do, by showing up for one another,” the lawmakers wrote. “We are deeply grateful to our first responders, law enforcement officers, linemen, emergency management officials, volunteers, and churches who have worked around the clock to support our communities.”

“Even so, the Governor and local officials have determined that the scale of this damage exceeds what state and local governments can address on their own,” the letter continues. “A swift evaluation and approval of Governor Ivey’s request for a federal major disaster declaration is essential to helping these families and communities get back on their feet.”

The full letter is available here.

Grayson Everett is the editor in chief of Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on X @Grayson270.