A major disaster has been approved by President Biden for the State of Kansas in response to the Dec. 15, 2021 straight-line winds, Barton County Emergency Manager Amy Miller said. This means federal assistance has been ordered to supplement state, tribal and local recovery efforts in areas hit by the storm, including Barton County.

An applicant briefing for public assistance for Barton County government entities will be scheduled for next week, Miller said.

The funding is available to state, tribal, and eligible local governments – county, cities, townships, school districts - and certain private nonprofit organizations on a cost-sharing basis. In addition to Barton, other counties include Brown, Clay, Cloud, Doniphan, Edwards, Ellis, Ellsworth, Ford, Geary, Gove, Graham, Grant, Gray, Greeley, Hamilton, Haskell, Hodgeman, Jewell, Kearny, Lane, Lincoln, Logan, Marshall, Meade, Mitchell, Morris, Morton, Nemaha, Ness, Osborne, Ottawa, Pawnee, Republic, Rice, Riley, Rooks, Rush, Russell, Saline, Scott, Sheridan, Smith, Stafford, Stanton, Stevens, Sumner, Trego, Wabaunsee, Wallace, Washington, Wichita and Wyandotte.

Federal assistance to individuals and households was not approved. 

Additional designations may be made at a later date if requested by the state and warranted by further damage assessments. Federal funding is also available on a cost-sharing basis for hazard mitigation measures statewide.

 Other federal assistance includes emergency credit for producers within Barton County that is available from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, through the Barton County Farm Service Agency, and small nonfarm businesses are eligible to apply for low-interest federal disaster loans from the U.S. Small Business Administration.