President Declares Major Disaster For South Dakota
Release Date: December 21, 2005
Release Number: HQ-05-393
» More Information on South Dakota Severe Winter Storm
WASHINGTON, D.C. -- The head of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) announced today that federal disaster aid has been made available for South Dakota to supplement state and local recovery efforts in the area struck by a severe winter storm from November 27-29, 2005.
Acting FEMA Director R. David Paulison said federal funding is available to state and eligible local governments and certain private nonprofit organizations on a cost-sharing basis for emergency work and the repair or replacement of facilities damaged by the severe winter storm. The counties included in the disaster declaration are Aurora, Beadle, Bon Homme, Brookings, Brown, Charles Mix, Clark, Codington, Davison, Day, Deuel, Douglas, Edmunds, Grant, Gregory, Hamlin, Hanson, Hutchinson, Jerauld, Kingsbury, Marshall, Miner, Roberts, Sanborn, and Spink.
Federal funding is also available on a cost-sharing basis for hazard mitigation measures statewide.
Paulison named Thomas J. Costello as the Federal Coordinating Officer for federal recovery operations in the affected area. Costello said additional designations may be made at a later date if requested by the state and warranted by the results of further damage assessments.
FEMA prepares the nation for all hazards and manages federal response and recovery efforts following any national incident. FEMA also initiates mitigation activities, trains first responders, works with state and local emergency managers, and manages the National Flood Insurance Program. FEMA became part of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security on March 1, 2003.
Last Modified: Wednesday, 21-Dec-2005 14:28:43