(MANHATTAN, KS – September 13, 2018) Kansas counties impacted by September 3, 2018 flood events are awaiting federal declaration to be eligible for public assistance.

Last week, Gov. Jeff Colyer MD issued a state of disaster emergency declaration for five Kansas counties which started the process for federal relief opportunities. The state declaration sent notification to the President, initiating a request for federal disaster declaration based on The Stafford Act. The law states "All requests for a declaration by the President that a major disaster exists shall be made by the Governor of the affected State." 

Based on the scale of the disaster, three types of federal public assistance declarations may be available:

• Small Business Association Declaration makes low-interest loans available for businesses and individuals
• Public Assistance Declaration pays up to 75% match for the response and recovery costs to local governments
• Individual Assistance Declaration provides 100% federally-funded assistance to individuals and households

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) evaluates the Individual Assistance (IA) Declaration based on the following Public Assistance Program Factors: concentration of damage, trauma, special populations, voluntary agency assistance, insurance, and damaged residences. The IA declaration is rare and is not expected for the Wildcat Creek flood event.

If the Small Business Association and Public Assistance Declarations are made, the City Manager’s Office will share those details in a later release.