Federal disaster assistance granted

FEMA announced federal disaster assistance has been made available to the state of Oklahoma to supplement state, tribal and local recovery efforts in the areas affected by severe storms, straight-line winds and tornadoes from April 19-20.

The President's action makes federal funding available to affected individuals in McClain and Pottawatomie Counties.

Assistance can include grants for temporary housing and home repairs, low-cost loans to cover uninsured property losses and other programs to help individuals and business owners recover from the effects of the disaster.

Federal funding is also available to state, tribal, eligible local governments and certain private nonprofit organizations on a cost-sharing basis for emergency work and debris removal caused by severe storms, straight-line winds and tornadoes in McClain and Pottawatomie Counties.

Federal funding is also available on a cost-sharing basis for hazard mitigation measures statewide.

McClain County Commissioner Wilson Lyles praised the federal government’s quick action regarding the declaration.

“That is very fast,” Lyles said. “You don’t get the government to act that quickly very often,” Lyles said. “We appreciate their work. We knew about it at 8:30 a.m. Tuesday which would have been 9:30 a.m. in Washington.”

Lyles said he believes possibly an on the ground visit to the area by U.S. Senator Markwayne Mullin could have helped expedite the action.

Adam D. Burpee has been named the Federal Coordinating Officer for federal recovery operations in the affected areas. Additional designations may be made if warranted by the results of damage assessments.

He was on the ground in McClain County on Tuesday, officials reported.

Individuals and business owners who sustained losses in the designated areas can begin applying for assistance by registering online at www.DisasterAssistance.gov, by calling 1-800-621-3362 or by using the FEMA App. If you use a relay service, such as video relay service (VRS), captioned telephone service or others, give FEMA your number for that service.