Kansas granted more time to file federal disaster declaration

TOPEKA, Kan. (KSNW) – The state of Kansas has been granted an extension to submit a request for a major federal disaster declaration for the period beginning June 27, 2023, and continuing.

In an Aug. 18 letter to the Federal Emergency Management Agency, Gov. Laura Kelly requested an extension to Sept. 15, 2023, to submit the request. The request was made because the state has been affected by several rounds of severe storms accompanied by torrential rains, which caused flash flooding and flooding, tornadoes, high winds, large hail, and lightning.

In her letter, Kelly noted that the state is currently managing four open FEMA-declared disasters.

“We are grateful for this extension to file our request,” said Gov. Kelly. “The additional time will allow personnel from the Kansas Division of Emergency Management, National Weather Service, and FEMA to gather all the necessary information to corroborate the incident period and the damages caused by the storms.”

The extension will allow additional time to analyze local damage reports and determine the need for joint preliminary assessments.