Spencer County Designated For Public Assistance
Release Date: January 19, 2005
Release Number: 3197-001
» More Information on Indiana Snow
INDIANAPOLIS, IN -- The head of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) announced today that federal disaster funds have been authorized for Spencer County to supplement state and local government costs for responding to the record snow that hit the state late last month.
Ron Sherman, federal coordinating officer for the disaster said the emergency declaration was amended to include Spencer County following a review of damage data gathered by federal and state disaster recovery officials.
FEMA will provide reimbursement to county government agencies for 75 percent of the total eligible costs of equipment, contracts and personnel overtime related to emergency services in dealing with the snow over a 48-hour period. These are the crucial hours when work crews clear snow from emergency routes and roads to critical facilities to permit the passage of emergency vehicles. Related emergency protective measures such as sanding and salting will also be eligible for reimbursement.
The declaration covers jurisdictions with record and near-record snowfall from the storm that occurred over the period of December 21-23. Forty nine counties were originally designated eligible for federal funding to pay part of the cost for emergency protective measures undertaken as a result of the snowstorm. This includes state and local government operations needed to protect public health and safety and to prevent damage to public or private property.
The original counties include Bartholomew, Blackford, Brown, Clark, Crawford, Daviess, Dearborn, Decatur, Delaware, Dubois, Fayette, Floyd, Franklin, Gibson, Greene, Hamilton, Hancock, Harrison, Henry, Jackson, Jay, Jefferson, Jennings, Johnson, Knox, Lawrence, Madison, Marion, Martin, Monroe, Morgan, Ohio, Orange, Owen, Perry, Pike, Posey, Randolph, Ripley, Rush, Scott, Shelby, Sullivan, Switzerland, Union, Vanderburgh, Warrick, Washington and Wayne.
FEMA prepares the nation for all hazards and effectively manages federal response and recovery efforts following any national incident. FEMA also initiates mitigation activities, trains first responders, and manages the National Flood Insurance Program and the U.S. Fire Administration. FEMA became part of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security on March 1, 2003.
Last Modified: Thursday, 20-Jan-2005 11:09:48