Governor Stitt is asking the federal government to declare a national declaration because of the winter weather which has kept Oklahoma below freezing for nearly two weeks.
“Yesterday President Biden pledged the federal government’s support for Oklahoma when we spoke by phone,” said Stitt. “I am now urging the President and his administration to act quickly and deliver on our request to help Oklahomans recover from this historic storm.”
Under the Stafford Act, Gov. Stitt has requested an Emergency Declaration for Direct Federal Assistance statewide for all 77 Oklahoma counties and Public Assistance Category B, limited to mass care and sheltering. The governor may request additional federal assistance programs as more damage assessments are completed.
If the federal government approved the request, cities, counties and tribes could be reimbursed for the emergency costs related to the winter storm. Federal resources could also be made available.
Due to the drain on electric generation resources from Texas, Oklahoma’s utilities have participated in rolling blackouts. Several inches of snow have been dumped across the state, standing many with frozen pipes and, at times, no electricity.
Editor’s Note: Feel free to send your winter weather pics to us at McCarvilleReport@gmail.com. If we get enough, we’ll publish a story with the shared winter weather photos. The two examples below were taken by our editor, Jason Doyle.
