Obama finally declares a disaster

In a move that makes the Katrina response look like a formula one race, Obama finally declared parts of Kentucky a major disaster; only nine days after the fact.

President Barack Obama on Thursday issued a major disaster declaration for Kentucky in the wake of a deadly ice storm, ordering federal aid to supplement local recovery efforts.

Gov. Steve Beshear sought the major disaster status earlier this week. The storm has been blamed for 27 Kentucky deaths.

Beshear said such a declaration would open the state to immediate federal financial assistance in the wake of the devastating ice storm, which cut power to more than three-fourths of a million homes and businesses, a state record.

The declaration allows state and local governments to be reimbursed for up to 75 percent of storm-related costs from the federal government. Federal Emergency Management Agency administrator Nancy Ward said her agency is reviewing whether the severity of the storm and the cost of repairing damages warrant 100 percent reimbursement.

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