Thursday, July 7, 2016
OKLAHOMA CITY – Governor Mary Fallin today announced the state of Oklahoma has requested a major disaster declaration from the federal government as a result of flooding and severe storms last month.
Fallin requested public assistance to aid municipalities, counties, rural electric cooperatives and the state with infrastructure repairs and costs associated with responding to the storm in six southern Oklahoma counties.
The counties included in the state’s request for public assistance are: Caddo, Comanche, Cotton, Garvin, Grady and Stephens.
Severe weather that began June 11 caused flash flooding that drenched homes, businesses and vehicles, while washing out several bridges and rendering some roads impassable. Authorities performed more than 150 swift water rescues after the storms.
Preliminary damage assessments indicate the storms resulted in more than $6.7 million in infrastructure damage and response costs. Two deaths were attributed to the storms, while nearly 300 homes and businesses were damaged.
Also today, Fallin was notified that the federal government has denied the state’s request for individual assistance for Caddo, Comanche and Garvin counties, where nearly 300 homes and businesses were damaged in the same June storm.
The state still is working to bring assistance to those impacted by the storm through a request for a disaster declaration from the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA). If approved, an SBA declaration would deliver low interest disaster loans for homeowners, renters and business owners that sustained damage not covered by insurance or other assistance programs.