President Trump approves major disaster declaration for Nevada in response to January flooding
Submitted by Jeff Munson on Fri, 02/17/2017 - 11:27pm
UPDATE 8AM: Less than 10 days after Nevada Gov. Sandoval sent a letter to President Donald Trump asking for federal assistance due to flooding in early January, the Federal Emergency Management Agency has responded to the call.
FEMA announced Friday that federal disaster assistance has been made available to Nevada to supplement state, tribal, and local recovery efforts in the areas affected by severe winter storms, flooding and mudslides from January 5 to Jan. 14, 2017.
Gov. Sandoval signed a letter on Feb. 9 to the president requesting that he declare a major disaster for Nevada as a result of severe and widespread flooding in early January. The total official damage assessment is $14.82 million. The State of Nevada sought federal assistance through the public assistance program and the hazard mitigation program.
“I would like to express my sincere gratitude to President Trump and his team at FEMA for acting swiftly and making these funds available. Additionally, I would like to thank Nevada Senator Dean Heller, Senator Catherine Cortez Masto, Congressman Mark Amodei, and the entire congressional delegation for highlighting the urgency of the state’s request to the federal government,” said Sandoval. “The state has taken immediate action to begin road repairs and flood recovery across northern Nevada but there’s considerable work to be done. This declaration will add significant resources to our efforts and we will continue to work with our federal partners to ensure these funds are used effectively to help Nevadans rebuild.”
"This declaration comes at the request of the Governor and was made possible by the hard work to first responders, public works professionals, and others from local, tribal, and state partners," said Caleb Cage, Chief of the Nevada Division of Emergency Management. "A true statewide partnership carried us through the response phase for these weather events, and we will continue to work together to make our communities whole again during the recovery phase."
According to a news release, federal funding is now available to state, tribal, and eligible local governments and certain private nonprofit organizations on a cost-sharing basis for emergency work and the repair or replacement of facilities damaged by severe winter storms, flooding, and mudslides in Douglas, Lyon, Storey and Washoe counties; the independent city of Carson City, the Pyramid Lake Paiute Tribe, the Reno-Sparks Indian Colony, and the Washoe Tribe of Nevada and California.
Federal funding is also available on a cost-sharing basis for hazard mitigation measures statewide.
Rosalyn L. Cole has been named as the Federal Coordinating Officer for federal recovery operations in the affected area. Cole said additional designations may be made at a later date if requested by the state and warranted by the results of further damage assessments.
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