FEMA has approved more than $36 million in total assistance to South Dakota as of October 1, 2021, supporting the state’s fight against COVID-19 over the last 18 months. The assistance was authorized under the major disaster declaration issued for South Dakota on April 5, 2020.
Earlier this year, following new guidance from President Biden, FEMA increased reimbursement from 75 percent to 100 percent funding for projects related to the pandemic response, retroactive to January 20, 2020.
This federal funding was received by the state and distributed to South Dakota tribes, counties, cities, individuals, and other state and local partners.
A total of nearly $28 million was provided by FEMA to reimburse other agencies that provided staffing or resources to augment state efforts. The Department of Defense, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and U.S. Department of Labor all supported COVID-19 operations in South Dakota.
FEMA also contributed more than $820,000 for Crisis Counseling to assist individuals and communities in recovering from the psychological effects of the pandemic through outreach and educational services.
Another $4.2 million has been approved for FEMA Funeral Assistance, which delivers funding to families for pandemic related funeral expenses incurred after January 20, 2020. Those in need of such aid can call FEMA’s COVID-19 Funeral Assistance Helpline at 844-684-6333 or (TTY) 800-462-7585. The helpline is open Monday through Friday, from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Eastern Time (7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Mountain Time). At this time, there is no deadline to apply for COVID-19 Funeral Assistance for families who have lost a loved one.
South Dakota also has been allocated nearly $3.3 million from FEMA’s Hazard Mitigation Grant Program to invest in mitigation planning and projects that reduce risks from natural disasters.
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