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THE WHITE HOUSE

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release April 7, 1997

PRESIDENT CLINTON DECLARES MAJOR DISASTER IN SOUTH DAKOTA

President Clinton today declared a major disaster exists in the state of South Dakota and ordered Federal aid to supplement state and local recovery efforts in the area struck by severe flooding, severe winter storms, heavy spring rain, rapid snowmelt, high winds, and ice jams beginning on February 3, 1997, and continuing.

The President's action makes Federal funding available to affected individuals in the following counties: Aurora, Beadle, Bennett, Bon Homme, Brookings, Brown, Brule, Buffalo, Butte, Campbell, Charles Mix, Clark, Clay, Codington, Corson, Custer, Davison, Day, Deuel, Dewey, Douglas, Edmunds, Fall River, Faulk, Grant, Gregory, Haakon, Hamlin, Hand, Hanson, Harding, Hughes, Hutchinson, Hyde, Jackson, Jerauld, Jones, Kingsbury, Lake, Lawrence, Lincoln, Lyman, McCook, McPherson, Marshall, Meade, Mellette, Miner, Minnehaha, Moody, Pennington, Perkins, Potter, Roberts, Sanborn, Shannon, Spink, Stanley, Sully, Todd, Tripp, Turner, Union, Walworth, Yankton, and Ziebach.

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 also available to eligible local governments on a cost-sharing basis for debris removal and emergency protective measures under the Public Assistance program for the counties of Aurora, Beadle, Bennett, Bon Homme, Brookings, Brown, Brule, Buffalo, Campbell, Charles Mix, Clark, Clay, Codington, Davison, Day, Deuel, Douglas, Edmunds, Faulk, Grant, Hamlin, Hand, Hanson, Hughes, Hutchinson, Hyde, Jerauld, Kingsbury, Lake, Lincoln, McCook, McPherson, Marshall, Miner, Minnehaha, Moody, Potter, Roberts, Sanborn, Spink, Sully, Turner, Union, Walworth and Yankton. Additional areas and assistance under the Public Assistance program may be added, if warranted.

Federal funding is also available on a cost-sharing basis for hazard mitigation measures for the counties of Aurora, Beadle, Bennett, Bon Homme, Brookings, Brown, Brule, Buffalo, Butte, Campbell, Charles Mix, Clark, Clay, Codington, Corson, Custer, Davison, Day, Deuel, Dewey, Douglas, Edmunds, Fall River, Faulk, Grant, Gregory, Haakon, Hamlin, Hand, Hanson, Harding, Hughes, Hutchinson, Hyde, Jackson, Jerauld, Jones, Kingsbury, Lake, Lawrence, Lincoln, Lyman, McCook, McPherson, Marshall, Meade, Mellette, Miner, Minnehaha, Moody, Pennington, Perkins, Potter, Roberts, Sanborn, Shannon, Spink, Stanley, Sully, Todd, Tripp, Turner, Union, Walworth, Yankton, and Ziebach.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency is continuing to conduct damage surveys and additional counties may be added after the assessments are completed.

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