Kansas Gov. Kelly Asks for Federal Assistance for Kansas Flooding

TOPEKA, Kansas, May 26 -- Gov. Laura Kelly, D-Kansas, issued the following news:

Governor Laura Kelly has sent a request to President Donald Trump asking for emergency federal assistance to help address the widespread severe storms, tornadoes and flooding that have plagued Kansas in recent days.

The letter details the events leading up to the request and asks for Direct Federal Assistance for:

(1) Swift water rescue support;

(2) Shelter management support including short-term housing assistance;

(3) Mass care and human services support through commodities;

(4) Technical support and possible staffing for state logistics staging areas;

(5) Possible technical support regarding hazardous materials spills and orphan containers.

The request also anticipates the need for debris removal, which poses an immediate threat to lives, public health, and safety.

"Kansas is experiencing damage from severe weather and historic flooding due to extended heavy rain," Kelly said. "Today I sent a request to President Donald Trump for emergency federal assistance for response and recovery. We are working with our local, state, and federal partners to ensure Kansans have the resources they need at this challenging time."

Named in the request are the 46 Kansas counties listed in the state declaration originally signed by Kelly May 9 and later amended. These counties include Allen, Anderson, Barber, Barton, Butler, Chase, Chautauqua, Cherokee, Clark, Clay, Cloud, Coffey, Comanche, Cowley, Crawford, Dickinson, Doniphan, Elk, Franklin, Geary, Greenwood, Harvey, Jefferson, Kingman, Lincoln, Lyon, Marion, McPherson, Meade, Montgomery, Morris, Neosho, Osage, Ottawa, Pawnee, Pottawatomie, Pratt, Reno, Rice, Riley, Rush, Saline, Sumner, Wabaunsee, Wilson, and Woodson.

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. Sections 5121-5208 (Stafford Act), and implemented by 44 CFR Section 206.35. Also today, the Kansas Division of Emergency Management sent out a request through the Emergency Management Assistance Compact for an advanced team to assist with coordinating interstate resource requests, and geospatial information system specialists to assist with development of mapping products.

"In order to proactively expand our resources and ensure the Kansas Division of Emergency Management has everything it needs to assist local partners and keep people safe, we have requested through the Emergency Management Assistance Compact an advanced team to assist our personnel. As we work with impacted communities, I want to ensure that every resource is being brought to bear to assist local emergency personnel so we can keep people safe and limit damage to property."