Tuscumbia requests funds for disaster relief, fire station

Tuscumbia Mayor William Foster made a trip to Washington, D.C., last week to request aid for disaster relief and a new fire station from state legislators.

Foster told the crowd during the city’s March 3 meeting he met with Senators Tommy Tuberville and Katie Britt as well as Representative Robert Aderholt in an effort to secure funds for those two items.

“I gave Sen. Tuberville the exact numbers so we can look at the monetary value of what we need,” Foster said. “He was very positive in his support. Congressman Aderholt and Sen. Britt are writing letters of support for us as well. So hopefully we get some funds.”

The numbers are still coming in for the amount of damage caused by an EF-1 tornado that struck Tuscumbia on Feb. 15.

While the City has done much to clean up debris and get utilities working again, returning Tuscumbia to its pre-storm state will take some time yet.

Foster said he also spoke with Tuberville about acquiring funds for a new fire station.

“Sen. Tuberville is the backer on this one, and Aderholt and Britt are writing letters of support for Tuscumbia,” Foster said. “Sen. Tuberville is writing in his budget for August the $2 million I requested for the building. We will know in August if it passes in his budget. My trip to D.C. was very pleasant. I do believe we acquired money for the fire station and tornado relief.”

Foster said each of the three legislators reached out to him within the first day of the tornado, and he has continued to provide updates.

“Congressman Robert Aderholt and his team are keeping a close eye on our progress in addressing the disaster and offering assistance to ensure Tuscumbia’s needs are met,” Foster said in a social media post on the City’s page.