NEWS RELEASE

Office of Governor Brad Henry
State of Oklahoma
State Capitol – Oklahoma City OK 73105
405-521-2342

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE -- 12/21/2007

Oklahoma City - Gov. Brad Henry today requested that 18 more Oklahoma counties receive federal disaster aid to assist with infrastructure damage caused by last week’s ice storm.

Already, seven Oklahoma counties are declared for public assistance under the major disaster declaration that President Bush granted earlier this week. If this latest request is approved, the additional counties will receive federal funding to assist local governments with repairs to roads, bridges and public facilities, debris removal as well as the costs associated with responding to the ice storm.

Gov. Henry said he is confident the Federal Emergency Management Agency will add the 18 counties to the existing declaration.

“Numerous communities statewide received extensive damages in the wake of the ice storm,” he said. “Public assistance is an important step toward recovery. I am thankful that President Bush and FEMA have been so supportive during this challenging time for Oklahoma, and I anticipate that this request will receive the same level of attention.”

The requested counties are: Beaver, Caddo, Canadian, Craig, Creek, Delaware, Grady, McClain, Nowata, Okfuskee, Okmulgee, Osage, Ottawa, Pawnee, Payne, Rogers, Seminole and Washington. Already declared for public assistance are Cleveland, Lincoln, Mayes, Oklahoma, Pottawatomie, Tulsa and Wagoner counties.

As additional preliminary damage assessments are completed, more counties will be requested to receive public assistance.

Officials with the Oklahoma Department of Emergency Management continue to document damage to homes and business that will be used to support a request for individual assistance. Residents and business owners with uninsured ice-storm damages are urged to go online at www.oem.ok.gov. Already, the state has received more than 8,500 reports from individuals and business owners.

###