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OKLAHOMA CITY, OK – On Friday, Congresswoman Kendra Horn sent a letter to Governor Kevin Stitt urging the Governor to apply for federal disaster assistance by requesting a Presidential disaster declaration. The request follows a historic ice storm that hit Oklahoma on Monday, resulting in widespread damage to residential and commercial properties and leaving more than 375,000 Oklahomans without power. As of Friday, more than 200,000 Oklahomans remained without power.

“Oklahoma is recovering from the second-worse ice storm in our state's history. Families already struggling because of the COVID-19 pandemic are without power and the resources they need to get by,” said Congresswoman Horn. “I am in daily contact with community leaders, local utilities, and elected officials to see where we can help our neighbors and how we can support efforts to restore power for all Oklahomans. Today’s letter urges our Governor to apply for critically needed federal assistance that will help our state recover from this storm. I stand ready to support the Governor in this request.”

A state of emergency has already been declared by Governor Stitt for Oklahoma. A federal state of emergency must be requested by the Governor and issued by the President to receive federal assistance. The text of Congresswoman Kendra Horn’s letter to the Governor is below:

Governor Stitt:

On Monday, October 26, the state of Oklahoma experienced one of the worst ice storms in our history. Nearly 375,000 power outages have been reported across our state, and as of today, more than 200,000 households and businesses in Oklahoma remain without power. I applaud your efforts in issuing a state of emergency to help expedite relief efforts.

Since this disaster occurred, repair crews have been working around the clock in inclement weather to ensure power is restored to as many homes as possible. The repair and recovery efforts have been compounded by downed trees and debris that will take weeks, if not months, to clean up across our entire state. Although we do not yet have a complete damage assessment, it is clear that the damage is significant and the cleanup will be costly.

When Oklahoma was hit with another historically severe ice storm in 2007, Governor Brad Henry requested a major disaster declaration which was granted by President George W. Bush. President Bush’s declaration made possible an estimated $30,566,892 in public assistance, in addition to an estimated $754,748 in total individual assistance for the 268 residences impacted. These funds were an integral part of the cleanup and recovery efforts on the ground in Oklahoma.

In times of need, Oklahomans have a rich history of coming together and providing selfless relief to those who need it the most.

I urge you to request a major disaster declaration to provide relief to Oklahomans in the wake of this disaster, and I stand ready to support your request at the federal level.

Sincerely,

 Kendra S. Horn
Member of Congress