NEWS RELEASE

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

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – 2/25/2009

Oklahoma City – Gov. Brad Henry announced today that the Federal Emergency Management Agency has approved his request for public assistance for three Oklahoma counties hit hard by this month’s severe storms and tornadoes. Additionally, federal officials granted the Governor’s request for another six counties to receive public assistance in the wake of the January ice storm.

The designation delivers federal funding to assist municipalities, counties and rural electric cooperatives with infrastructure repairs, debris removal and costs associated with responding to the storms.

“I am pleased but not surprised that FEMA responded quickly in approving the request for additional public assistance,” Gov. Henry said. “The ice storm and tornadoes inflicted significant damage and destruction, and communities need and deserve the help.”

Carter, Coal and Love counties are approved for public assistance for the Feb. 10 severe storms and tornadoes. Those same storms already resulted in individual assistance being approved Feb. 15 for Carter, Logan and Oklahoma counties.

Comanche, Haskell, McIntosh, Muskogee, Okfuskee and Sequoyah counties are approved for public assistance for the Jan. 26 ice storm. Those counties join four others – Adair, Cherokee, Delaware and Hughes – already approved for public assistance.

Other counties can be added to the requests as additional damages are identified.

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