President Obama Signs South Dakota Disaster Declaration

The President today declared a major disaster exists in the State of South Dakota and ordered federal aid to supplement state and local recovery efforts in the area affected by a severe winter storm, snowstorm, and flooding during the period of October 3-16, 2013.

Federal funding is available for Disaster Unemployment Assistance for affected individuals in Butte, Corson, Custer, Dewey, Fall River, Haakon, Harding, Jackson, Lawrence, Meade, Pennington, Perkins, Shannon, and Ziebach Counties and the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe of the Cheyenne River Reservation within Dewey and Ziebach Counties and the Oglala Sioux Tribe within Jackson and Shannon Counties.

Federal funding also is available to state and 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 Butte, Corson, Custer, Dewey, Fall River, Haakon, Harding, Jackson, Lawrence, Meade, Pennington, Perkins, Shannon, and Ziebach Counties and the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe of the Cheyenne River Reservation within Dewey and Ziebach Counties and the Oglala Sioux Tribe within Jackson and Shannon Counties.

In addition, federal funding is available to the state and eligible local governments on a cost-sharing basis for snow assistance for a continuous 48 hour period during or proximate to the incident period in Butte, Custer, Fall River, Lawrence, Meade, and Pennington Counties.

Finally, Federal funding is available on a cost-sharing basis for hazard mitigation measures for all counties and Tribes within the state.

W. Craig Fugate, Administrator, Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), Department of Homeland Security, named Gary R. Stanley as the Federal Coordinating Officer for federal recovery operations in the affected area.

FEMA said additional designations may be made at a later date if requested by the state and warranted by the results of further damage assessments.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION MEDIA SHOULD CONTACT: FEMA NEWS DESK AT (202) 646-3272 OR FEMA-NEWS-DESK@DHS.GOV