PIERRE, (KCCR) — South Dakota Governor Larry Rhoden has made a formal request for a presidential major disaster declaration for eight central South Dakota counties impacted by severe storms in late June. The declaration covers Hughes, Stanley, Hyde, Hand, Buffalo and the Crow Creek and Lower Brule Reservations. Outside of central South Dakota, Beadle, Bennett and Day Counties are included. Rhoden declared a state of emergency June 30th for the storms. Damage in Hyde and Beadle Counties alone make up 80-percent of the damage costs. Damage to public property is over four-point-five million dollars, which exceeds the federal thresholds for disaster assistance. The preliminary damage assessment for Hughes County is 195-thousand dollars with 13-thousand 400-dollars for roads; 10-thousand for buildings and equipment and 149-thousand for utility systems. Stanley County is at 81-thousand 446-dollars with just shy of 59-hundred for roads, and 75-thousand 500 for other. Of the two-point-eight million for Hyde County one-point-four million was for debris removal and one-point-two million for utility systems. Protective measures accounted for 10-thousand dollars of the costs for Hyde County with 74-hundred for roads and 106-thousand for buildings and equipment. Buffalo County damage assessment is for 230-thousand dollars in road damage. Hughes County approved a county disaster declaration for the storms on July 1st. The storms produced what the Storm Prediction Center has classified a mini-derecho on June 29th that caused 131 mile an hour winds that torn a five mile by 50 mile path of damage across Hughes, Hyde and Hand Counties. If approved, the Presidential declaration would provide Public Assistance funding for repairs at a cost share of 75-percent federal, 10-percent state, and 15-percent local. In addition, it would make Hazard Mitigation Grant Program funding available in the future.
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