President Biden declares Kentucky tornadoes a major disaster. What that means.

President Joe Biden on Sunday declared the storm that destroyed many parts of Kentucky and killed dozens a major disaster, according to the White House.

Doing so will make Federal funding available to affected individuals in the counties of Caldwell, Fulton, Graves, Hopkins, Marshall, Muhlenberg, Taylor, and Warren. Assistance can also be provided in the form of grants for temporary housing and home repairs, low-cost loans to cover uninsured property losses, and other programs to help individuals and business owners recover from the effects of the disaster.

Gov. Andy Beshear asked for a major disaster declaration Sunday afternoon, according to FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell.

The President can declare an emergency for any incident when the President deems federal assistance is needed, according to FEMA.

Anyone who suffered losses as a result of the tornado can apply for assistance online at http://www.DisasterAssistance.gov or by calling 1-800-621-FEMA (3362).

This story was originally published December 13, 2021 at 7:49 AM.

Christopher Leach

Lexington Herald-Leader

Chris Leach is a breaking news reporter for the Lexington Herald-Leader. He joined the newspaper in September 2021 after previously working with the Anderson News and the Cats Pause. Chris graduated from UK in December 2018. Support my work with a digital subscription