Trump approves South Dakota disaster declaration to help recovery of $43 million in flood damages

President Donald Trump approved South Dakota's request for a disaster declaration, Gov. Kristi Noem announced Saturday.

The Presidential Disaster Declaration allows federal money to be used to help citizens and local governments to recover after extreme flooding and winter weather damaged property and roads this spring. Noem requested the disaster declaration on May 22. 

More:South Dakota to get $1.5M from feds for flood-damaged roads, bridges

Federal Emergency Management Agency teams will come to South Dakota to document damage to public and individual properties, but when they would arrive wasn't specified in a news release.

A preliminary statewide damage assessment from FEMA showed about $43 million in damage to public infrastructure in 58 counties and on three reservations, according to the news release. As for individual assistance, the preliminary damage assessment indicated about $3 million among 12 counties and three reservations.

“This is great news for our state as it means that those still recovering from the severe weather will get much-needed assistance,” Noem said in the news release. 

Individual assistance was approved for the following counties: Bennett, Bon Homme, Charles Mix, Dewey, Hutchinson, Jackson, Mellette, Minnehaha, Oglala Lakota, Todd, Yankton, and Ziebach counties as well as the Cheyenne River, Pine Ridge, and Rosebud reservations.

Individual assistance was not approved for Brookings, Kingsbury, Hamlin, and Turner counties, but the counties could be added to the list later as more damage information is gathered, according to the release. 

More:City Hall estimates $1.45M in flood damages to bridges, parks, athletic fields

Last week, the U.S. Department of Transportation made available $1.5 million in emergency relief funds to help with repairing flood and winter weather-damaged roads. This initial "quick release" money will help pay for short-term repairs as the state is still doing damage assessments for roads impacted by an April snowstorm and spring flooding.  

Email reporter Danielle Ferguson at dbferguson@argusleader.com, or follow on Twitter at @DaniFergs.