By: Joshua Haiar

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (South Dakota Searchlight) – Federal aid is on the way to help people recover from damages caused by late June’s historic flooding in southeastern South Dakota.

Governor Kristi Noem announced Thursday night that President Joe Biden approved her disaster declaration request, which she submitted on July 26.

The declaration comes after what the Governor’s Office calls a 1,000-year flooding event that impacted 25 counties. Federal funding will be available to state, tribal and local governments, and certain private nonprofit organizations, on a cost-sharing basis for emergency work and repair and replacement of damaged infrastructure. The cost share is 75% federal, 15% state and 10% local.

Residents and business owners in Davison, Lincoln, Turner and Union counties qualified for individual assistance and are advised to contact the Federal Emergency Management Agency to apply. Assistance can include grants for temporary housing and home repairs, low-cost loans to cover uninsured property losses, and other programs to help individuals and business owners recover from the effects of the disaster.

Noem said in a statement she is proud of South Dakota’s resilience. 

“This event was unprecedented, but our response was exactly what South Dakota always does,” Noem said. “We work together to get our neighbors back on their feet.”

Some residents, particularly in McCook Lake, have struggled in the aftermath. It has been about eight weeks since a June 23 flood severely damaged or destroyed about 40 homes there. 

Morgan Speichinger’s McCook Lake home was destroyed. Her family is looking forward to working with FEMA to get questions answered. 

“It’s still a long road ahead of us, but this was a major step forward,” she said. “Especially since we have been stagnant for so long.”

Many affected McCook Lake residents have relied on temporary accommodations, such as staying in hotels or with friends and relatives, while awaiting assistance.

RAPID CITY, S.D. (KOTA) – The Central States Fair brought together some of the country’s best professional arm wrestlers for the South Dakota Pro-Am Championships. Saturday’s event featured some unsuspecting participants like southwest Missouri’s Sam Taylor. Taylor, a 22-year-old pro, doesn’t appear to be one of the strongest men in the room, but you know what happens when assume. Taylor takes advantage of all of the “little guy” talk.

”You don’t have to arm wrestle the big guys,” Taylor said. “I do just because it’s fun. And, you know, once you get to a certain level, you know of have to start picking on the big guys because you’ll be running through the little guys, and then you’re the big guy picking on the little guys, so I never want to be that.”

Taylor placed 2nd in his respective class.

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LEAD — Sometime in 2031, the Sanford Underground Research Facility in the Black Hills is expected to complete its transformation from goldmine to neutrino mine.

However, it was the efforts of policymakers in Pierre, three decades earlier, that paved the way for South Dakota to host the world’s premier underground laboratory.

Called the SURF for short, the facility was known as the Homestake Mine from 1876 until the 21st century, one of the most productive gold mines in the United States.

Blast to the future: Subterranean lab digs further into Black Hills, particle physics