President Barack Obama declares Kane and Washington Counties major disaster areas, funds coming

President Barack Obama issued a declaration Friday afternoon recognizing a major disaster in Southwestern Utah in the wake of flooding throughout Washington and Kane counties in late December. Federal Emergency Management Agency spokesman Jerry DeFelice said the signed declaration will be followed by a formal agreement between FEMA and the state that will include a commitment by Utah to pay a portion of project costs resulting from the flooding. The federal portion of the bill usually amounts to 75 percent of the costs, DeFelice said.

In January, Gov. Gary Herbert issued a request to Obama asking for federal aid in the recovery of nearly $6 million in eligible damages after continuous rainfall over the course of several days before Christmas caused rivers in Southern Utah to swell and appeared to threaten the stability of an earthen dam in the Zion corridor. Preliminary estimates put Washington County's total damages at $20 million. DeFelice said the eligible $6 million is a preliminary figure based on a damage assessment in mid-January reviewing the effects on public infrastructure - primarily roads, utility systems, parks and trails. The Spectrum