Gov. Rounds Requests Presidential Disaster Declaration for Damage Caused by Winter Storm

Gov. Rounds Requests Presidential Disaster Declaration for Damage Caused by Winter Storm

Gov. Mike Rounds today sent President George Bush a letter requesting a Presidential Disaster Declaration to reimburse state, tribal, and local units of government, as well as rural electric cooperatives for damage caused by a winter storm November 28 and 29. This declaration request is based on damage from storms in 25 South Dakota counties.

"I ask that President Bush respond quickly and positively to our request for federal disaster assistance," said Gov. Rounds on the disaster declaration. "We have determined that the damages are of such severity and magnitude that effective response is beyond the financial capabilities of the state, tribal, and affected local governments."

The severe winter storm left 25 counties with crippled power systems leaving homes, schools, health care facilities, and businesses without power. This severe winter storm caused state government, local governments and eighteen rural electric cooperatives to incur uninsured expenses. This event will force them to pass these unexpected costs on to their customers if they do not receive federal and state assistance.

Significant amounts of manpower and equipment from state, tribal, county and local levels have been dedicated to recovering from the severe winter storm.

During the weekend of December 3-4, representatives from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) conducted a joint federal, state and local preliminary damage assessment in the counties of Aurora, Beadle, Bon Homme, Brookings, Brown, Charles Mix, Clark, Codington, Davison, Day, Deuel, Douglas, Edmonds, Grant, Gregory, Hamlin, Hanson, Hutchinson, Jerauld, Kingsbury, Marshall, Miner, Roberts, Sanborn and Spink. From that assessment, the total public damage is estimated at $18,060,838; not including costs of the State of South Dakota, Yankton Sioux and Sisseton Wahpeton Oyate Sioux Tribes.

Additionally, Gov. Rounds has requested the Hazard Mitigation Grant Program for the entire state. The program provides grants on a cost share basis for local governments to implement long-term hazard mitigation measures after a major disaster declaration. The purpose of the program is to reduce the effects of future natural disasters and to enable mitigation measures be implemented during the immediate recovery from a disaster.

Since 2000, the state has responded to seven fire management assistance declarations, four Presidential Disaster Declarations, and one emergency declaration.

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