Delegation Encourages President to Quickly Approve South Dakota Disaster Declaration
Gov. Daugaard Requested Declaration After Severe Thunderstorms and Flash Flooding on May 17 and 18
WASHINGTON — U.S. Sens. Mike Rounds (R-S.D.) and John Thune (R-S.D.) and U.S. Rep. Kristi Noem (R-S.D.) today, in a letter to President Trump, expressed their strong support for South Dakota Gov. Dennis Daugaard’s request for a major disaster declaration that would cover Campbell, McPherson, and Walworth counties in South Dakota. If approved, the federal disaster assistance would help communities recover from severe thunderstorms and flash flooding that occurred between May 17 and May 18, which caused significant damage.
“We applaud the work of federal, state, county, and local entities in response to the storm system, as their efforts helped to mitigate the immediate impacts of the storm,” the delegation wrote. “However, the impact to public infrastructure across the three counties is severe. As Governor Daugaard indicated in his request, the storm was of ‘such severity and magnitude that effective response is beyond the capabilities of the state and the affected local governments, and supplemental federal assistance is necessary.’ This determination was reached on the basis of preliminary damage assessment completed by the state in cooperation with the Federal Emergency Management Agency.”
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