Governor Rounds Declares Disasters in 7 South Dakota Counties

Governor Rounds Declares Disasters in 7 South Dakota Counties

On Thursday, June 30, 2005, Gov. Mike Rounds issued an Executive Proclamation declaring disasters in seven South Dakota counties; and requested that President Bush declare a major disaster for the state of South Dakota.

"The severe storms and high winds that swept across Corson, Faulk, Hyde, Potter, Spink, Stanley and Sully counties on June 7 and 8 caused significant damage to our power lines," said Gov. Rounds. "We have determined that the state needs federal assistance in order to effectively respond to the needs of our local communities."

Immediately following the storms of June 7 and 8, Department of Public Safety personnel worked for more than a week to evaluate and respond to storm damage. From the information gathered, the governor requested on June 17 that the U.S. Department of Homeland Security's Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) perform a preliminary damage assessment of the impacted areas. The assessment indicated that the most severe impacts were to power lines and poles in the seven-county area. Substantial debris removal costs and emergency protective measures were also documented.

"I want to thank the local officials for all of their hard work in putting together the required damage assessments and county disaster proclamations that allow us to seek federal assistance," said the governor.

Total public assistance damages for the seven counties are estimated at more than $1.2 million.

If President Bush grants South Dakota a disaster declaration, the state will work with the seven declared counties to reimburse them for eligible public infrastructure repair costs.

http://www.state.sd.us/governor/