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THE WHITE HOUSE

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release April 22, 1997

FACT SHEET: DIRECT FEDERAL ASSISTANCE/ ADD-ON COUNTIES FOR PUBLIC

ASSISTANCE

DIRECT FEDERAL ASSISTANCE

"Direct Federal Assistance" includes all eligible emergency work (such as debris removal and emergency protective measures) that is undertaken to ensure the public health and safety of the affected population. Under this amendment, FEMA will reimburse 100 percent of the costs of all emergency work undertaken by the Federal government. The amendment ensures that no State or local budgetary constraints will affect the immediate and effective response to these disasters.

Further, FEMA has approved this amendment retroactively, from the date of the original disaster declarations, in order to cover all costs for emergency work undertaken since the Federal government became involved in the disaster response.

ADD-ON COUNTIES FOR PUBLIC ASSISTANCE

The following 18 counties in Minnesota have been added for the full FEMA Public Assistance Grant program:

Big Stone, Blue Earth, Brown, Chippewa, Dakota, Grant, Lac Qui Parle, Le Sueur, Nicollet, Polk, Redwood, Renville, Sibley, Stevens, Swift, Traverse, Wilkin, and Yellow Medicine.

The following 53 counties in South Dakota have been added for the full FEMA Public Assistance Grant program:

Aurora, Beadle, Bon Homme, Brookings, Brown, Brule, Buffalo, Campbell, Charles Mix, Clark, Clay, Codington, Corson, Davison, Day, Deuel, Dewey, Douglas, Edmunds, Faulk, Grant, Haakon, Hamlin, Hand, Hanson, Hughes, Hutchinson, Hyde, Jerauld, Jones, Kingsbury, Lake, Lincoln, Lyman, McCook, McPherson, Marshall, Miner, Minnehaha, Moody, Perkins, Potter, Roberts, Sanborn, Spink, Stanley, Sully, Tripp, Turner, Union, Walworth, Yankton, and Ziebach.

These designations will make funds available for the permanent repair or restoration of public facilities that were affected by the floods. FEMA is currently performing assessments in North Dakota. We anticipate adding numerous North Dakota counties in the near future.

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