For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
January 10, 2006
Statement on Federal Disaster Assistance for Oklahoma
The President today declared a major disaster exists in the State of
Oklahoma and ordered Federal aid to supplement state and local recovery
efforts in the area struck by an extreme wildfire threat beginning on
December 1, 2005, and continuing.
The President's action makes Federal funding in the form of Individual
Assistance available to affected individuals in the counties of
Canadian, Cotton, Garvin, Hughes, Lincoln, Logan, Mayes, Okfuskee,
Oklahoma, Pottawatomie, Seminole, and Stephens.
Individual Assistance is provided for losses incurred on or after
December 1, 2005, and can include grants for temporary housing and home
repairs, low-cost loans to cover uninsured property losses, and other
programs to help individuals and business owners recover from the
effects of the disaster.
Public Assistance also is available for all eligible counties in the
State for emergency protective measures implemented on or after December
30, 2005. This assistance will be made available on a cost-sharing basis
to those counties being threatened with an urgent danger from wildfires.
This assistance will be provided at 75 percent Federal funding.
Federal funding is also available on a cost-sharing basis for hazard
mitigation measures statewide.
R. David Paulison, Acting Director of the Federal Emergency Management
Agency, Department of Homeland Security, named Philip Parr as the
Federal Coordinating Officer for Federal recovery operations in the
affected area.
The Agency said that damage surveys are continuing in other areas, and
additional counties may be designated for assistance after the
assessments are completed.
The Agency said that residents and business owners who sustained losses
in the designated counties can begin applying for assistance tomorrow by
registering online at http://www.fema.gov or by calling
1-800-621-FEMA(3362) or 1-800-462-7585 (TTY) for the hearing and speech
impaired.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: FEMA (202) 646-4600.
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