The Federal Emergency Management Agency has denied individual and public assistance for some Kentucky counties impacted by the deadly and destructive flooding that pummeled Kentucky in February.
In an April 22 letter, FEMA officials said individual assistance would not be provided for residents in Butler, Franklin, Knox, Laurel, Lawrence and Whitley counties. Simpson and Woodford counties were also denied public assistance.
FEMA officials said the denials are based on damage assessments finding that the flooding impacts did not rise to the “severity and magnitude” needed to justify the assistance.
The commonwealth has 30 days from the date of the rejection to appeal FEMA’s decision, according to the letter.
“While we are grateful to have gotten an expedited major disaster declaration for the February flooding, which has authorized at least some level of public assistance for local governments in 68 counties and individual assistance for Kentuckians in 16 counties, we are disappointed to receive this latest news,” Beshear said in an April 23 news release. “We are actively comparing the damage assessments, and we plan to appeal this decision.”
FEMA’s public assistance program provides funding to local governments and certain non-profits to help communities recover from natural disasters, while the individual assistance program targets relief toward individuals and families.
Beshear also asked President Donald Trump for a major disaster declaration April 11 following another major flooding event, requesting individual assistance for 13 counties and public assistance for 33 counties, according to the news release.
Beshear said intends to request assistance for additional counties if the initial request is approved.
Contact reporter Killian Baarlaer at kbaarlaer@gannett.com or @bkillian72 on X.
This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Beshear: KY counties denied FEMA assistance for February flooding