State requests federal disaster declaration
Published on -7/29/2010, 12:09 PM
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By MIKE CORN
Lt. Gov. Troy Findley has asked for a federal disaster declaration for 77 Kansas counties for a series of storms in June that caused nearly $10 million in damages.
The disaster request was announced Tuesday.
"The storms that moved throughout the state in June caused significant damage to Kansas communities," Findley said. "I am requesting this federal assistance to help the affected counties restore the infrastructure that is so vital to not only their homes and businesses, but also their economic growth."
Parkinson had already signed a state of disaster emergency declaration on June 14 in response to thunderstorms accompanied by tornadoes, high winds, large hail, lightning and torrential rain that caused significant damage in much of Kansas.
Northwest Kansas counties affected are: Ellis, Osborne, Phillips, Rooks, Rush, Russell and Smith.
Preliminary damage assessments determined a total of $748,046 in FEMA public assistance funds for debris removal, $8.9 million for road and bridge repairs and $1.1 milion for utilities.
Teams from the state and Federal Emergency Management Agency visited affected counties earlier this month to perform preliminary assessments to determine if the damage was enough to qualify for federal assistance.
