South Dakota Gets Federal Disaster Aid

Posted on Friday, May 23, 2008

Governor Mike Rounds announced today, six western South Dakota counties are receiving federal financial assistance for the May 1-2 snow storm that snapped power lines and closed the Interstate. Those counties include Bennett, Butte, Harding, Jackson, Lawrence, and Perkins. The assistance is made available through a Presidential Disaster Declaration signed yesterday by President Bush. A disaster declaration authorizes the federal government to provide federal relief and recovery assistance for up to 75% of the eligible damage to public infrastructure in the affected areas. The state will cover 10% of the remaining eligible costs and eligible applicants are responsible for 15% of the costs. A preliminary damage report completed by the South Dakota Office of Emergency Management, Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), and local officials shows more than $7.5 million in estimated damage to public infrastructure in the declared counties. Most of the assistance will go to utility companies. Downed power lines and snapped utility poles account for most of the damage from the storm. Other eligible reimbursement costs include overtime for emergency workers and snow removal in some counties.