NEWS
Obama declares Kentucky federal disaster area
Posted: Thursday, January 29, 2009 6:17 PM
CHURCHILL DOWNS
Churchill Downs/Reed Palmer photo
by Pete Denk
President Barack Obama has declared Kentucky a federal disaster area following a severe ice storm that brought down trees and left hundreds of thousands of homes and businesses without electricity.
It is not known how much federal aid will be available, but the declaration could mean horse farms will be able to recoup some of the damage costs.
David Switzer, executive director of the Kentucky Thoroughbred Association and Kentucky Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders, said that language in the 2008 federal farm bill makes equine breeders eligible for federal disaster relief.
Kentucky legislators and the equine industry had been trying for relief eligibility ever since Mare Reproductive Loss Syndrome hit in 2001-‘02.
“In the 2008 Congress, we were successful, with the support of Senator Mitch McConnell (R-Ky), in getting that language in the farm bill,” Switzer said on Thursday. “I am trying to find out through the Kentucky Department of Emergency Management what the parameters are of this relief or how it might affect horse breeders.
“If we find there are some things the horse farms can take advantage of, we will send out a notice to all our farms.”
Large areas of Central Kentucky have been without power since the storm hit on Tuesday. Fallen trees and broken limbs continued to be a menace on Thursday, as the temperature was yet to go above freezing.
Case Clay, president of Three Chimneys Farm in Midway, said his staff spent much of Thursday morning repairing fences that were knocked over by fallen limbs. Two of Three Chimneys’s divisions were without power.
“We’re getting through it. We’ve actually been lucky,” Clay said. “We haven’t had any property damage as far as buildings or cars. A huge limb fell and just missed one of our trucks last night.
“The good thing is the horses are safe. We kept them in for two days, and we turned them out today. We’re making sure our automatic waterers are working.
“A lot of our phone calls have been Smarty Jones fans calling to see if he’s safe."
Pete Denk is sales editor of Thoroughbred Times
