The President today declared a major disaster exists in the Commonwealth of Kentucky and ordered Federal aid to supplement Commonwealth and local recovery efforts in the area struck by severe winter ice and snow storms, heavy rain, flooding, tornadoes, and mud and rock slides on February 15-26, 2003.
The President's action makes Federal funding available to affected individuals in a 15 county area. The counties include Breathitt, Carter, Clarke, Fayette, Floyd, Greenup, Johnson, Knott, Leslie, Letcher, Lewis, Martin, Owsley, Perry, and Pike.
Federal funding also is available to the commonwealth and eligible local governments on a cost-sharing basis for the repair or replacement of public facilities damaged by the severe winter ice and snow storms, heavy rain, flooding, tornadoes, and mud and rock slides in the counties of Anderson, Bath, Bourbon, Boyd, Bracken, Breathitt, Breckenridge, Carter, Clark, Clay, Elliott, Estill, Fayette, Fleming, Floyd, Grant, Grayson, Green, Greenup, Harrison, Jessamine, Johnson, Knott, Knox, Lawrence, Lee, Leslie, Letcher, Lewis, Magoffin, Martin, Mason, Meade, Menifee, Mercer, Morgan, Nicholas, Owsley, Pendleton, Perry, Pike, Powell, Robertson, Rowan, Scott, Shelby, Spencer, Washington, Whitley, Wolfe, and Woodford.
Representing the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), Michael D. Brown, Acting Under Secretary for Emergency Preparedness and Response, Department of Homeland Security, named Gracia Szczech as the Federal Coordinating Officer for Federal recovery operations in the affected area.