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NEWS FROM
SENATOR TIM JOHNSON,
SENATOR JOHN THUNE,
and REPRESENTATIVE STEPHANIE HERSETH

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Thursday, May 18, 2006

Contact: Julianne Fisher, 202-224-1638
Kyle Downey, 202-228-5939
Russ Levsen, 202-226-4449

SD Delegation Supports Governor's Request and Asks White House for Emergency Declaration

Washington, DC - U.S. Senators Tim Johnson (D-SD) and John Thune (R-SD) and Congresswoman Stephanie Herseth (D-SD) called on President George W. Bush to recognize the devastating effects of the April blizzard that hit western South Dakota and declare six counties a major disaster area. In a letter to Bush from the South Dakota delegation, they ask the President to instruct federal agencies to expedite the delivery of all forms of federal disaster assistance. The delegation took this step immediately after Governor Mike Rounds' officially submitted his request for a presidential disaster declaration in South Dakota.

"I was in the affected region immediately following the storm, and had the opportunity to see the impact firsthand," said Johnson. "Downed power lines, flooding, and livestock losses were among the damages inflicted by the storm's heavy snow and high winds. Following the blizzard that hit the northeastern part of the state last November, we worked as a delegation to support a similar request from the Governor, and we were successful in securing several million dollars in federal assistance for South Dakota. I am hopeful that we will achieve a similar result by again working together in this case."

"I hope the president will respond swiftly to our delegation's request for much needed assistance. This last blizzard caused significant damage throughout South Dakota and the families, farmers and businesses in the affected areas need this assistance to make the necessary repairs and bring life back to normal." said Thune.

Rep. Herseth said, "Families, businesses, producers and school systems were all affected by this major storm, and they continue to face challenges in recovery. The South Dakota delegation joins in full support for a presidential disaster declaration to help speed needed recovery throughout the region."

Full Letter to the President follows:

May 15, 2006

The Honorable George W. Bush
President of the United States
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington, D.C. 20500

Dear President Bush:

As members of the South Dakota congressional delegation, we write to express our full support of Governor M. Michael Rounds' request for a presidential disaster declaration for our state. This declaration would greatly assist South Dakota's recovery from the severe storm that hit the western portion of our state from April 18th to the 20th.

The wet, heavy snow, high winds, and ice brought by this storm caused extensive damage in several South Dakota counties. During and immediately after the storm, power lines were damaged to an extent that left as many as 15,200 customers without electricity. Warm temperatures that followed the storm's conclusion created a significant threat of flooding, for which preventive measures were taken. In addition, though outside the scope of the governor's disaster declaration request, many livestock producers suffered extensive losses as a result of the storm.

As Governor Rounds' disaster declaration request indicates, state and local officials responded to the storm by implementing appropriate elements of South Dakota's State Emergency Operations Plan in accordance with federal law. These emergency operations activities undoubtedly reduced the storm's impact and accelerated the state's recovery from that impact. Nevertheless, the preliminary damage assessment completed by the state in cooperation with Federal Emergency Management Agency officials makes clear that the scale of the storm's impact exceeds the state's response capacity and therefore justifies federal assistance as specified in the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act.

In light of these considerations, we respectfully request that you declare a major disaster for relevant areas of our state and that you instruct federal agencies to expedite the delivery of all forms of federal disaster assistance for which South Dakota is eligible based upon that declaration. We are pleased to offer any assistance that you may require in fulfilling this request.

Thank you very much for your consideration of this important matter. Please do not hesitate to contact any of us if we can provide you with additional information.

Sincerely,

Tim Johnson U.S. Senate

John Thune U.S. Senate

Stephanie Herseth U.S. House of Representatives

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