Clinton declares emergency in Oklahoma

Friday, December 29th 2000, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) _ President Clinton on Thursday declared that an emergency exists in Oklahoma and ordered federal aid to supplement state and local recovery efforts following a major winter ice storm.

The declaration authorizes the Federal Emergency Management Agency to coordinate all disaster relief efforts, particularly in 27 counties in central, southern and eastern Oklahoma.

FEMA can now identify, mobilize and provide equipment and resources necessary to alleviate the impact of the emergency, White House officials said. Assistance for debris removal and emergency protective measures, including direct federal assistance will be provided at 75 percent federal funding.

FEMA Director James L. Witt has named C. Michel Butler as the federal coordinating officer for federal recovery operations in the state.

Massive power outages have left thousands of residents in southern and eastern Oklahoma without electricity and water for three days now. At least five people have died as a result of the freezing rain, sleet and snow that fell on the state Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday.

The counties named in the declaration are Atoka, Bryan, Carter, Choctaw, Cleveland, Coal, Garvin, Haskell, Hughes, Johnston, Latimer, LeFlore, Love, Marshall, McClain, McCurtain, McIntosh, Murray, Muskogee, Okfuskee, Oklahoma, Pittsburg, Pontotoc, Pottawatomie, Pushmataha, Seminole and Sequoyah.