President Biden approves disaster aid for Kansas after winter storm

WASHINGTON, D.C. (KSNT) - President Joe Biden is signing off on federal disaster assistance for the Sunflower State Monday morning.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) announced in a press release on April 29 that Biden is approving federal dollars to go towards helping Kansas counties impacted by winter storm damage Jan. 8-16 in 2024. This comes after Governor Laura Kelly sent a request for help to the Biden Administration on April 11.

Federal funds are now available to help state, tribal and eligible local governments and some private nonprofit organizations on a cost-sharing basis for emergency work. This assistance can also go towards repairs or replacements of facilities damaged by severe winter storm weather for the following counties:

• Butler
• Chase
• Cloud
• Edwards
• Ford
• Geary
• Gray
• Hodgeman
• Morris
• Osage
• Ottawa
• Pawnee
• Shawnee
• Stafford
• Trego
• Wabaunsee

FEMA also says federal funds are available on a cost-sharing basis for hazard mitigation measures statewide. More designations may be made at a later date if requests are made by the state of Kansas and warranted by the results of future assessments.

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