Kansas Gov. Kelly: Additional Counties Added to Federal Emergency Declaration

TOPEKA, Kansas, June 1 -- Gov. Laura Kelly, D-Kansas, issued the following news:

Governor Laura Kelly and the Kansas Division of Emergency Management have been notified that 15 additional Kansas counties have been added to a federal emergency declaration for Kansas dated May 26, 2019. The amendment to the declaration was expanded to include tornadoes that impacted Kansas.

"President Trump's approval of additional counties will help us provide critical support and resources to communities to keep Kansans safe and rebuild," Kelly said. "We will continue to work closely with our local, state and federal partners during this challenging time."

The counties added to FEMA-3412-EM are: Allen, Doniphan, Dickinson, Douglas, Geary, Jefferson, Leavenworth, Linn, Lyon, Marshall, Morris, Pottawatomie, Riley, Saline, and Wabaunsee. Additional designations may be made at a later date.

The 18 counties originally named in the federal emergency declaration from President Donald Trump were Anderson, Butler, Chautauqua, Cherokee, Coffey, Cowley, Crawford, Elk, Franklin, Greenwood, Harvey, Montgomery, Neosho, Osage, Reno, Sumner, Wilson, and Woodson.

An emergency declaration supplements state and local government efforts for required emergency measures to save lives and to protect property and public health and safety, or to lessen or avert the threat of a catastrophe through direct federal assistance for emergency protective measures.

The request was made under the provisions of Section 401 of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act, 42 U.S.C. Sec.Sec. 5121-5208 (Stafford Act), and implemented by 44 CFR Sec. 206.35. Kansas Division of Emergency has also requested assistance through the emergency management assistance compact for an advance team to assist with requests for assistance from other states, liaison officers, geographic information system specialist to assist with the development of mapping products and other technical assistance to assist counties that have sustained impacts and have unmet needs that exceed their resource capabilities.