FRANKFORT, Ky. — President Donald Trump and the Federal Emergency Management Agency have approved public assistance for 18 Kentucky counties affected by Winter Storm Fern, Gov. Andy Beshear announced, according to WUKY 91.3 FM.
The severe winter weather in January resulted in more than 20 deaths across Kentucky and caused extensive damage across the state. The federal disaster declaration will enable affected counties to seek reimbursement for emergency response and recovery costs related to the storm.
The approval allows state and local governments to access federal funds to help with cleanup efforts, infrastructure repairs and other disaster-related expenses. Counties in the affected areas can now begin the process of documenting damages and submitting claims for reimbursement through FEMA’s public assistance program.
Winter Storm Fern brought dangerous wind, ice and heavy snow that left many Kentuckians without power for extended periods and created treacherous travel conditions across the state. The storm’s impact was felt particularly in rural areas where recovery efforts have been ongoing since the event.
The disaster declaration is an important step for communities still recovering from the storm’s effects, providing financial support to help rebuild and restore critical services and infrastructure damaged during the severe weather event.
This article was generated by AI (claude-haiku-4-5-20251001) based on source material from WUKY 91.3 FM. The original source is available at https://www.wuky.org/wuky-news/2026-06-01/kentuckians-impacted-by-winter-storm-fern-approved-for-federal-aid.
