This week’s winter storm was record-setting for Oklahoma. And not for the right reason.
When President Bush signed earlier this week an emergency disaster declaration for all 77 counties, it marked the eighth time this year that federal disaster aid has been made available to public entities and citizens via a presidential declaration.
According to the Federal Emergency Management Agency, which is responsible for responding to, recovering from and mitigating against disasters, no other state has had as many presidential disaster declaration in one calendar year.
“We’re just so disaster savvy, it’s scary,” Michelann Ooten, spokeswoman for the Oklahoma Department of Emergency Management, told The Associated Press.
FEMA spokesman Earl Armstrong told AP that most states don’t usually have to endure as many disasters as Oklahoma experienced in 2007.
Call it a badge of honor. Call it what you like.
Just don’t call it an award Oklahomans would have wanted to win.
Presidential disaster declarations for Oklahoma in 2007:
— Jan. 15: For severe winter storms and flooding throughout Oklahoma starting on Jan. 12 (emergency declaration)
— Feb. 1: For severe winter storm in three counties in the Panhandle from Dec. 28-30, 2006
— Feb. 1: For severe winter storms affecting 46 counties from Jan. 12-26
— June 7: For severe storms, tornadoes and flooding affecting 17 counties from May 4-11
— July 7: For severe storms, flooding and tornadoes affecting 29 counties from June 10-July 25
— Aug. 24: For severe storms, tornadoes and flooding affecting 22 counties from Aug. 18-Sept. 12
— Aug. 31: For severe storms, flooding and tornadoes affecting nine counties from May 24-June 1
— Dec. 10: For severe winter storms throughout Oklahoma starting on Dec. 8 (emergency declaration)
Source: FEMA
Brian Sargent
Staff Writer