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WASHINGTON—U.S. Sens. John Cornyn and Kay Bailey Hutchison announced today that FEMA has extended the Proof of Loss (POL) submission deadline an additional 90 days to June 8 for residents who have suffered damage to flood insured property as a result of Hurricane Ike. Late last week, in their latest effort to ensure Texas is treated fairly in Hurricane Ike recovery efforts, Sens. Cornyn and Hutchison sent FEMA Acting Administrator Nancy Ward a letter urging FEMA to waive the POL requirement or extend the POL submission deadline. This followed up on Governor Perry’s request. FEMA waived the POL requirement for states and citizens affected by the 2004 hurricane season, Katrina in 2005, and the agency extended the POL submission deadline to one year in response to Rita, and Sens. Cornyn and Hutchison urged FEMA to do the same for residents affected by Hurricane Ike last year. “Today’s announcement that a short-term extension has been granted is welcome news for residents who suffered property damage during last year’s devastating storm. While this is certainly one step forward, more work remains to be done. I’m committed to doing everything I can on the federal level to ensure Texas is treated on par with other states when it comes to hurricane recovery funding and resources, so that Texans can get back on their feet again,” Sen. Cornyn said. “In a matter of hours, Hurricane Ike devastated entire communities in Texas. Unfortunately, recovering from such a destructive storm is a long and costly process,” said Sen. Hutchison. “I’m pleased that that FEMA has created a 90 day extension; it is a step in right direction. But knowing that so many Texans lost everything, we hope the Department of Homeland Security will consider additional time, if needed.” --A copy of the letter is below-- The Honorable Nancy Ward Acting Administrator Federal Emergency Management Agency 500 C Street, S.W. Washington, D.C. 20472 Dear Acting Administrator Ward: We are writing to request that you give strong and prompt consideration to the State of Texas’s request to waive the Proof of Loss (POL) requirement for policyholders of flood insured properties or extend the POL submission deadline an additional 180 days beyond the current deadline of March 12th for policyholders who suffered property damage as a result of Hurricane Ike. Hurricane Ike inflicted tremendous damage to East and Southeast Texas. The devastation experienced by the area’s communities and homeowners has been severe. The widespread flooding has led to a shortage in the availability of insurance adjusters to inspect and survey damaged properties and as a result, a considerable backlog has developed. As you will recall, a POL cannot be filed by a policyholder until an insurance adjuster has inspected the property and drafted a report. The considerable backlog of properties still awaiting inspection has greatly delayed policyholder’s ability to submit a POL and receive payment on claims. While the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) 120 day extension of the POL submission deadline was helpful to our constituents, further action is required. As you know, FEMA waived the POL requirement in 2004 for states and residents battered by Hurricane Ivan and in 2005, a waiver was granted after Hurricane Katrina. Our state and constituents deserve and need the same treatment that other states received during recent hurricane recovery efforts. Waiving the POL requirement or extending the deadline an additional 180 days would remove or lessen a bureaucratic hurdle Texans currently face as they rebuild and recover from Hurricane Ike. We appreciate your efforts to address this vital concern of our constituents, and we look forward to working with the new Administration as recovery efforts continue in the months ahead. Please do not hesitate to contact us if we can provide additional assistance in expediting this request. Sincerely, /s/ -30-