Washington ? Kansas lawmakers want President Bush to let the federal government cover 100 percent of reconstruction costs from tornado damage in Greensburg.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency usually covers 75 percent of costs, with state and local governments matching the rest.

The state’s congressional delegation said in a letter to Bush late Wednesday that he should make an exception for Greensburg because damage there was “truly catastrophic.”

“As you might imagine, this small Kansas community operates almost exclusively on their sales and property tax base, which will not be available for the foreseeable future,” the letter said. “Unfortunately, the county does not have the funds to literally build a town from scratch and the state is stretched to the limit funding recovery from record blizzards that inundated western Kansas this winter.”

FEMA waived part of the match requirement earlier this year when it covered 90 percent of recovery costs associated with fierce winter storms in Kansas. The agency is also covering 90 percent of costs for Hurricane Katrina recovery.

FEMA covered 100 percent of cleanup costs after the 9-11 attacks in New York, one of the few times the agency has waived all requirements for state and local matching.

The letter was signed by Republican Sens. Pat Roberts and Sam Brownback, Republican Reps. Todd Tiahrt and Jerry Moran and Democratic Reps. Dennis Moore and Nancy Boyda.