NEBRASKA- President Joe Biden on Monday approved a disaster declaration in Nebraska related to severe storms and straight-line winds in July, opening up federal aid to help the state recover.

Federal assistance is available for state, tribal, local governments and some nonprofits in 14 counties for “emergency work and the repair or replacement of facilities damaged by the severe storms and straight-line winds,” according to a White House press release.

The counties are: Box Butte, Cass, Clay, Douglas, Fillmore, Grant, Hall, Hamilton, Madison, Sarpy, Saunders, Sheridan, Washington and York. Funds are also available through the Hazard Mitigation Grant Program, according to the Governor’s Office — that money can help with public projects anywhere in Nebraska that aim to cut down on the risk for damage in natural disasters.

During a preliminary assessment, the Federal Emergency Management Agency was able to validate about $30.8 million in damage from the July 9-10 storms across the affected counties, a report from the agency shows.

Sens. Deb Fischer and Ben Sasse and Reps. Jeff Fortenberry, Don Bacon and Adrian Smith penned the letter in support of Gov. Pete Ricketts’ request for federal disaster assistance.

“We supported Governor Ricketts in his request for this aid and were glad to see the administration act quickly in response,” the state’s congressional delegation said Tuesday in a joint statement. “This disaster declaration will provide Nebraskans with the resources to rebuild and recover.”

The governor declared a disaster on July 22. That declaration allowed the state to use the Governor’s Emergency Fund to address damage from the storms, according to the Governor’s Office, and was necessary to request the federal aid.

For the full article click HERE