     South Dakota Gov Kristi Noem has signed a disaster declaration for 16 counties hit hard by the December snowstorms.
The list includes Bennett, Oglala Lakota, and Todd Counties, who together cover the Pine Ridge and Rosebud Sioux Reservations.
Noem’s order is part of a request for a Presidential disaster declaration, which would make federal resources available to help state, tribal, and local governments recover from the storms.
Noem’s office says the storms cost an estimated $2.4 million dollars between damage to power infrastructure as well as unexpected costs for snow removal.