FEMA PROVIDES $3.2 MILLION TO SOUTH DAKOTA FOR SEVERE WINTER STORM
DAMAGE
[https://www.fema.gov/press-release/20211203/fema-provides-32-million-south-dakota-severe-winter-storm-damage]


DENVER – FEMA approved more than $3.2 million in Public Assistance
funding for severe winter storm damage in South Dakota. The assistance
was made available under a major disaster declaration issued November
8, 2013. This funding is being authorized under Section 406 of the
Robert T. Stafford Act, which allows funds for cost-effective
mitigation measures under the Public Assistance program for repairs,
restoration, and replacement of eligible damaged facilities.

During the incident period, a severe winter storm with high winds and
heavy wet snow caused ice buildup on power lines, causing them to
bring down electrical poles, causing damage to the Grand Electric
Cooperative’s power grid and its components.

The funding from FEMA has allowed the cooperative to rebuild
distribution lines to make them more resistant to damage from future
storms. In Perkins County more than 50 miles of line was moved
underground, while in Buffalo County, steel poles replaced wooden
poles on more than 21 miles of line.  This work ensures a more
reliable power supply for members of the Grand Electric Cooperative.
The project work will continue through next year.

This funding was provided under the Public Assistance Program’s
Alternative Procedures Pilot Program authorized by Section 428 of the
Stafford Act. It is designed to achieve better recovery outcomes and
simplify the delivery of assistance. This applied to large permanent
work projects in any major disaster declared on or after May 20, 2013.

This pilot program has been superseded by Public Assistance Program
and Policy Guide (PAPPG) Version 4 effective June 1, 2020. The work
will continue under the pilot program until completed.

Read more about the PAPPG and other programs at
https://www.fema.gov/assistance/public/policy-guidance-fact-sheets .

Additional information about FEMA’s Public Assistance program can be
found at www.fema.gov/assistance/public
[http://www.fema.gov/assistance/public].