Governor Mary Fallin Requests Public and Individual Assistance for More Oklahoma Counties

OKLAHOMA CITY – June 17, 2015 – (RealEstateRama) — Governor Mary Fallin and the Oklahoma Department of Emergency Management (OEM) have requested the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) grant public assistance for 14additional counties hit hard by tornadoes and flooding that began May 5. If approved, the designation would deliver federal funding to assist municipalities, counties and rural electric cooperatives with infrastructure repairs, debris removal and costs associated with responding to the storms.

The 14counties added to the request today are: Craig, Custer, Dewey, Grant, Jefferson, Kay, Kingfisher, Kiowa, Major, Noble, Oklahoma, Ottawa, Roger Mills and Wagoner. To date, FEMA has approved public assistance for 40 counties requested by Fallin and OEM.

Fallin and OEM also requested individual assistance – which makes federal assistance available for housing and business repairs – for five additional counties. Those counties include: Creek, Mayes, Pontoc, Rogers and Tillman.

As of today, FEMA has approved individual assistance in twenty Oklahoma counties. A total of 15 counties have been requested for individual assistance by Fallin and OEM but not yet approved.

The governor continued to encourage individuals and business-owners whose property was damaged between May 5 and June 4 by storms and flooding to report those damages to FEMA by calling 1-800-621-FEMA (3362) regardless of what county they are located in. She stressed that damage assessments are ongoing and the state may add more counties to its requests for both individual and public assistance.

A list of counties receiving aid is below.

Individual Assistance

Note: Individual assistance makes available federal assistance for housing repairs or temporary housing, U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) low-interest loans for individuals and businesses to repair or replace damaged property, disaster unemployment assistance, and grants for serious needs and necessary disaster expenses not met by other programs. Twenty Oklahoma counties have been approved by FEMA for individual assistance. Governor Fallin has requested aid for 15 additional counties that have not yet been approved.

Approved Counties: Atoka, Beckham, Bryan, Caddo, Canadian, Cleveland, Comanche, Grady, Johnston, Kiowa, Le Flore, Marshall, McClain, McCurtain, McIntosh, Oklahoma, Pittsburg, Pottawatomie, Seminole, and Wagoner

Additional Requested Counties: Carter, Choctaw, Cotton, Creek, Jefferson, Latimer, Mayes, Okfuskee, Okmulgee, Pontotoc, Pushmataha, Rogers, Stephens, Tillman and Tulsa

Public Assistance

Note: Public assistance makes federal funding available to assist municipalities, counties and rural electric cooperatives with infrastructure repairs, debris removal and costs associated with responding to the storms. FEMA has approved public assistance in 40 counties. The request for public assistance was expanded to include 14 more counties today.

Approved Counties: Adair, Atoka, Beckham, Bryan, Caddo, Canadian, Carter, Choctaw, Cleveland, Coal, Comanche, Cotton, Creek, Garvin, Grady, Haskell, Hughes, Jackson, Johnston, Latimer, Le Flore, Logan, Love, Marshall, McClain, McCurtain, McIntosh, Murray, Muskogee, Okfuskee, Okmulgee, Pittsburg, Pontotoc, Pottawatomie, Pushmataha, Seminole, Sequoyah, Stephens, Tillman and Washita

Additional Requested Counties:Craig, Custer, Dewey, Grant, Jefferson, Kay, Kingfisher, Kiowa, Major, Noble, Oklahoma, Ottawa, Roger Mills and Wagoner