Chairman Signs Disaster Declaration

This morning, Chairman Howell signed a proclamation declaring a state of local disaster for the area affected by flooding which occurred in Sedgwick County the evening of Friday, August 19 and into the morning on Saturday, August 20. The proclamation is attached. A local disaster emergency was last declared in April 2012 after the Oaklawn tornado.

There are many reasons for signing the declaration including, if federal disaster assistance becomes available, a local disaster declaration is required for citizens to be eligible. Sedgwick County did not declare at the time of the event because there were sufficient resources and most of the water rescues occurred in Sumner County.

A Presidential Declaration is unlikely as the damage is not extensive. Reimbursements from FEMA are also not anticipated. Businesses and home owners may qualify for low-interest loans through the Small Business Administration (SBA) if it is determined that damage was extensive enough to qualify.

Sedgwick County Emergency Management is working to determine how many homes and businesses were damaged, and to what extent; factoring in insured vs. un-insured losses. Preliminary damage assessments have been conducted throughout the Mulvane area; unincorporated areas of the county are being assessed. Residents and business owners are encouraged to report damage to Sedgwick County through the Sedgwick County app (available through the App Store and Google Play) and through United Way’s information line by dialing 2-1-1.

Sedgwick County Emergency Management is working with Kansas Department of Emergency Management (KDEM) to start the process moving forward with FEMA Region 7.