Lawmakers Urge Southwest Disaster Declaration

State lawmakers representing southwest Oklahoma today urged Governor Brad Henry to include Comanche and Tillman counties in his request for a major federal disaster declaration.

"Given how much damage the ice storms did in southwest Oklahoma, there's no reason the state shouldn't seek federal aid for those communities," said Rep. Don Armes, R-Faxon. "We've had entire communities without power for days and our infrastructure has taken a beating. Our communities need all the help they can get."

Following recent ice storms, Henry requested a federal disaster declaration for much of eastern Oklahoma, but hard-hit counties in the southwest were not included, the lawmakers noted.

"The recent ice storms have done real damage in southwest Oklahoma and I believe a federal disaster declaration is easily justified," said Rep. Joe Dorman, D-Rush Springs. "The more assistance we can obtain, the faster we can rebuild."

"The ice storm was crippling for local communities and constituents, and many are still recovering," said Rep. T. W.Shannon, R-Lawton. "Some communities, like Grandfield, were without power for a week."

"The ice storm created serious problems across southwest Oklahoma, damaging roads and power lines and forcing schools to close for days," said state Rep. Ann Coody, R-Lawton. "The Lawton school system, which is the biggest in our area, was forced to close for a week because the roads were so bad."

"That much ice causes lots of problems that can take months or even years to address," said Armes. "If Governor Henry will act quickly and request a disaster declaration, we can shorten that time frame considerably."

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Holland Declares State Of Emergency

State Insurance Commissioner Kim Holland has declared a state of emergency for insurance purposes, clearing the way for out-of-state insurance adjusters to begin helping those afflicted by the winter storm.

Her declaration grants out-of-state adjusters 90-day licenses to work with Oklahoma insurance companies work claims.

Earlier, Governor Brad Henry declared the entire state a disaster area and asked President Bush to issue a federal declaration; he did so in short order.

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