Washington, D.C.– U.S. President Joe Biden is issuing a Major Disaster Declaration to help Kentucky counties devastated by historic flooding in February and March. The declaration includes public assistance for 25 counties and individual assistance for individuals and families in nine counties. U.S. Representative Andy Barr (KY-06) and U.S. Representative Hal Rogers (KY-05) are pleased this request was approved but are also advocating for additional FEMA assessments to expand the declaration for several counties in their districts that were not included in the original request.
“Help is on the way from the federal government for thousands of Kentucky families, businesses and residents impacted by historic flooding to our Commonwealth,” said Representative Barr. “Representative Rogers and I promised our constituents we would fight for federal assistance to assist in the recovery efforts. This announcement is a huge boost in speeding up the recovery process. That being said, our work is not done. The Commonwealth plans on submitting for assistance to communities in the Sixth District not included in this request, and when they do, I stand ready to advocate for another approval.”
"I’d like to thank President Biden for granting this disaster declaration, because many across southern and eastern Kentucky need resources to rebuild as soon as possible. Since these floods tore through many of our communities, FEMA has been working around the clock to assess all of the flooding damage, and unfortunately, there is more work to do. Congressman Barr and I are working to ensure every impacted county is assessed for potential federal assistance, and we will send a formal request for expanded assessments in the coming days," said Representative Rogers. "We saw the damage to homes, businesses and county facilities first-hand, so we can personally attest to the urgent need for federal aid to help our neighbors through this long-term recovery and rebuilding process. That's why members of our staffs have been working with Governor Beshear's team to ensure every need is accounted for."
The declaration includes individual assistance for more than 2,300 impacted homes in nine counties. According to the Governor's office, this is the largest declaration for displaced individuals and families since a massive flooding event impacted the state in May 2010, when more than 4,200 structures were affected. In this case, counties have reported more than 1,200 instances of damage to infrastructure, debris removal and emergency measures costing more than $72 million.
The declaration includes individual assistance for damages to homes in the following counties: Breathitt, Clay, Estill, Floyd, Johnson, Lee, Magoffin, Martin and Powell counties. Individuals in those counties can apply with FEMA online at www.DisasterAssistance.gov or by calling 1-800-621-3362 (TTY: 800-462-7585).
The declaration also includes public assistance for local governments in the following counties: Boyd, Breathitt, Carter, Casey, Cumberland, Elliott, Floyd, Franklin, Jackson, Johnson, Knott, Knox, Lawrence, Lee, Lincoln, Magoffin, Marion, Martin, Mason, Morgan, Ohio, Pike, Powell, Rockcastle and Wolfe counties.
Hazard mitigation assistance is also available for the entire Commonwealth of Kentucky to help prevent future damage from natural disasters.
The federal declaration is the second in conjunction with historic winter storms that began in February across Kentucky. Two weeks ago, Kentucky's Congressional Delegation sent a joint letter to President Joe Biden in support of Governor Andy Beshear's request for this declaration to activate federal assistance for families and local governments in more than two dozen counties.
For more information about federal major disaster declarations, visit FEMA.gov.