Governor Andy Beshear announced Wednesday that, this past Monday, U.S. President Joe Biden approved the Commonwealth’s initial request for federal aid — in order to assist with recovery efforts in 76 counties adversely affected by severe storms observed in early March.
Per Beshear, all reported storm damage from these 76 counties has been verified by Kentucky Emergency Management, and further validated by the Federal Emergency Management Agency to confirm the eligibilities based on county-specific thresholds.
Several counties are reportedly still undergoing the verification and validation process, but once damage assessments are complete and eligibility is determined, additional counties may be added to the federal declaration.
This federal funding available to Kentucky can come to eligible local governments and certain private non-profit organizations for a cost-sharing basis with emergency work, repair and replacement of facilities damaged by the experience of severe storms, straight-line winds, tornadoes, flooding, landslides and mudslides.
Among the counties covered in this initial approval include many in the News Edge listening area: Caldwell, Calloway, Christian, Crittenden, Hopkins, Livingston, Logan, Lyon, Marshall, Muhlenberg, Todd and Trigg. And it virtually includes all of west Kentucky, save Fulton, Ballard and Henderson. And again, that could change.
March 3, the governor declared a state of emergency in advance of these forecasted severe storms — which did produce violent thunderstorms, dangerous winds, flooding and several small tornadoes, and also killed five Kentuckians.
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