KANSAS CITY, Mo. — President Joe Biden ordered Thursday federal assistance to Kansas after declaring a 'major disaster' exists in the state because of a round of severe weather this summer.
The federal funding will help assist state, tribal and eligible local governments recover from severe storms, straight-line winds, tornadoes and flooding that occurred across the state between July 14 and July 21, according to a White House press release. Some private nonporifts will receive funding on a cost-sharing basis to help with recovery efforts.
Funding will go toward the following 20 counties: Allen, Barton, Clark, Comanche, Edwards, Finney, Ford, Greeley, Johnson, Kearny, Pawnee, Rawlins, Rice, Russell, Stafford, Thomas, Wallace, Wichita, Woodson, and Wyandotte.
On Friday, July 14, straight line winds between 80 and 100 miles per hour tore through several parts of Kansas City. At the storm's peak, more than 240,000 customers were without power with the area's largest utility provider, Evergy. The storm damaged thousands of trees and snapped power poles in half.
Further damage assessments may warrant funding for additional communities at a later date, per the release.
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