In the aftermath of the deadly floods in eastern Kentucky, Beshear and others have been vocal about their concerns when it comes to denied FEMA claims for individual assistance.
Now that FEMA has responded, granting some on-the-ground workers authority to approve claims, the governor said the picture is improving.
"We're now up to 52% of all applications that have been made having been approved for at least some level of assistance. When I first got these numbers, it was about 36-37%. We've pushed really hard. I believe this is one of the highest percentages we've seen in a FEMA response. Now, it needs to be higher, but that is progress and we are seeing, thankfully, more pressure."Gov. Andy Beshear
Beshear said that pressure has helped turn about 2,000 denials into approvals.
There was also an update Thursday on the issue of washed out private bridges in the region.
Beshear said 423 such bridges have been registered for federal relief. The move is a first step, guaranteeing they will be assessed by state and federal agencies but not necessarily deemed eligible for assistance.
