FEMA: President Donald J. Trump Approves Major Disaster Declaration for South Dakota

WASHINGTON, June 8 -- The U.S. Department of Homeland Security's Federal Emergency Management Agency issued the following news release:

FEMA announced that federal disaster assistance has been made available to the state of South Dakota to supplement state, tribal and local recovery efforts in the areas affected by severe winter storm, snowstorm and flooding from March 13 - April 26, 2019.

The President's action makes federal funding available to affected individuals in Bon Homme, Charles Mix, Hutchinson, Minnehaha, and Yankton counties; the Pine Ridge Reservation to include Oglala Lakota, Jackson, and Bennett counties; the Rosebud Reservation to include Mellette and Todd counties; and the Cheyenne River Sioux Reservation to include Dewey and Ziebach counties. Assistance can include grants for temporary housing and home repairs, low-cost loans to cover uninsured property losses, and other programs to help individuals and business owners recover from the effects of the disaster.

Federal funding is also available to the state, tribal, 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, snowstorm and flooding in Aurora, Beadle, Bennett, Bon Homme, Brookings, Brown, Brule, Buffalo, Campbell, Charles Mix, Clark, Clay, Codington, Davison, Day, Deuel, Dewey, Douglas, Edmunds, Fall River, Faulk, Grant, Gregory, Hamlin, Hand, Hanson, Hughes, Hutchinson, Hyde, Jackson, Jerauld, Jones, Kingsbury, Lake, Lincoln, Lyman, Marshall, McCook, McPherson, Mellette, Miner, Minnehaha, Moody, Oglala Lakota, Pennington, Perkins, Potter, Roberts, Sanborn, Spink, Sully, Todd, Tripp, Turner, Union, Walworth, Yankton, and Ziebach counties; and the Cheyenne River Sioux Reservation, the Lake Traverse Reservation, and the Rosebud Reservation.

In addition, federal funding is available to the state and eligible local governments on a cost-sharing basis for snow removal for a continuous 48-hour period during or proximate to the incident period in Beadle, Brookings, Clark, Codington, Deuel, Edmunds, Hamlin, Hyde, Jerauld, Kingsbury, Mellette, and Potter counties.

Federal funding is also available on a cost-sharing basis for hazard mitigation measures statewide, including for tribes.

James R. Stephenson has been named as the Federal Coordinating Officer for federal recovery operations in the affected area. Stephenson said additional designations may be made at a later date if warranted by the results of further damage assessments.

Individuals and business owners who sustained losses in the designated area can begin applying for assistance by registering online at www.DisasterAssistance.gov or by calling 1-800-621- 3362 or 1-800-462-7585 TTY. The toll-free telephone numbers will operate from 7:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. (local time) seven days a week until further notice.