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THE WHITE HOUSE

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release July 8, 1994

                  PRESIDENT CLINTON DECLARES DISASTER 
          IN STATE OF ALABAMA FOLLOWING TROPICAL STORM ALBERTO

     The President today declared a major disaster exists in the State

of Alabama and ordered federal aid to supplement state and local recovery efforts there, following severe storms and flooding caused by Tropical Storm Alberto. Alabama is the third state this week to suffer from a natural disaster, following the floods in Georgia and fires in Colorado.

"My thoughts and prayers are with the people back home who are battling these fires and floods, and especially with the families of those who have lost their lives in the disasters," the President said from Naples, Italy, where he is attending the G-7 Conference. "I have directed all the federal departments who can help to make their most aggressive efforts to do so."

President Clinton's action makes federal funding available to affected individuals and local governments in an eight county area. The counties include: Barbour, Coffee, Covington, Dale, Geneva, Henry, Houston and Randolph.

Assistance can include disaster housing, grants, 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 available to eligible local governments on a cost-sharing basis for the repair or replacement of public facilities damaged by the tropical storms.

Damage surveys by the Federal Emergency Management Agency are continuing in other areas and additional counties may be added after the assessments are completed.

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