Disaster aid available for Clay County

Disaster aid available for Clay County By David Lias
Plain Talk The head of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security��?s Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has announced that federal disaster aid has been made available for South Dakota to supplement state and local recovery efforts in the area struck by severe storms and flooding in early June. In a press release, FEMA Administrator David Paulison said federal funding is available to state and eligible local governments and certain nonprofit organizations on a cost-sharing basis for emergency work and the repair or replacement of facilities damaged by severe storms and flooding. Clay County, along with 26 other counties and portions of the Cheyenne River Reservation, the Crow Creek Reservation and the Lower Brule Reservation, are eligible for the funding. Federal money is also available on a cost-sharing basis for hazard mitigation measures for all counties and tribes within the state. Tony Russell is the federal coordinating officer for federal recovery operations in the affected counties. Other contacts include Dennis Lowery, phone (303) 681-6498, and Phil Werneisch, phone (605) 945-4549. Assistance for the state and affected local governments can include, as required, payment of not less than 75 percent of the eligible costs for repairing and replacing damaged public facilities, such as roads, bridges, utilities, schools, buildings, recreational areas and other publicly-owned property, and for the costs of removing debris from public areas and for emergency measures to save lives and protect property and public health.