Governor Seeks Presidential Disaster Declarations

Press Release

Gov. Mike Rounds has requested two Presidential Disaster Declarations to help South Dakota recover from a Christmas blizzard and a January ice storm.

One request is for public assistance in 12 counties and two tribal reservations hardest hit by the Christmas blizzard. Public assistance damages from that storm are estimated at slightly more than $1 million for such activities as removing snow and repairing rural electric systems.

The second request is for both public and individual assistance for damages estimated at nearly $22.5 million as a result of the January ice storm. Public assistance is being requested for 29 counties and three reservations, while private assistance is being requested for seven counties and two reservations. The Governor's request said 29 counties suffered severe damage to power lines and poles, while seven counties had substantial home damage caused by broken water pipes after utilities were restored.

"I have further determined that this severe winter storm is of such severity and magnitude that effective response is beyond the capabilities of the state and the affected local governments, and supplemental federal assistance is necessary,'' Gov. Rounds wrote in each request for presidential action.

The governor's request for help with costs associated with the ice storm included a special mention of the need for assistance for individual homes on the affected reservations. Gov. Rounds noted that the preliminary assessment classified those damages as minor.

"Many of us would view broken pipes as an irritating inconvenience,'' he wrote. "I assure you, Mr. President, these wet homes are not merely an inconvenience to members of the Cheyenne River and Standing Rock Sioux Tribes. With high unemployment rates in these areas, impacted individuals do not have the means to complete necessary repairs in a timely manner.''

That could mean homeowners would only be able to fix water pipes and would be forced to delay replacement of wet sheetrock, studs and insulation, the governor said. With warmer temperatures, mold could grow rapidly and homes could become health hazards, he said.

"Mr. President, let's do what we can to at least put these South Dakota citizens into homes repaired to their pre-disaster condition,'' the governor wrote.

The requests are necessary for federal disaster funds to be made available to South Dakota. If the president grants the declarations, up to 75 percent of eligible costs could be reimbursed by the federal government. The governor's request does not guarantee federal funding will be made available in South Dakota.

There is no deadline for the White House to either accept or deny the declaration requests.

The South Dakota Office of Emergency Management, Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and local officials conducted preliminary damage assessments following each storm. The state received an extension to file its request from the Christmas blizzard because the preliminary damage assessment from that storm was interrupted by the January ice storm.

The following counties and tribes are listed in the requests for presidential disaster declarations:

Christmas blizzard:

* Public assistance requested for: Campbell, Clay, Gregory, Jones, Lyman, Mellette, Perkins, Shannon, Todd, Tripp, Turner and Yankton counties and the Pine Ridge and Rosebud Indian Reservations.

* Snow assistance requested for Campbell, Clay, Jones, Lyman, Perkins, Shannon, Todd, Turner and Yankton counties and the Pine Ridge and Rosebud Reservations.

January ice storm:

* Public assistance requested for: Aurora, Brule, Buffalo, Campbell, Corson, Day, Deuel, Dewey, Douglas, Edmunds, Faulk, Grant, Gregory, Hand, Harding, Hughes, Hutchinson, Hyde, Jerauld, McCook, McPherson, Meade, Perkins, Potter, Roberts, Sully, Turner, Walworth and Ziebach counties and the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe, the Sisseton Wahpeton Oyate and the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe.

* Individual assistance programs and Small Business Administration disaster loans requested in Campbell, Corson, Dewey, Hyde, Potter, McPherson and Ziebach counties and the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe and Standing Rock Sioux Tribe.

Source