Indiana disaster Federal aid

The President today declared a major disaster exists in the State of Indiana and ordered Federal aid to supplement State and local recovery efforts in the area struck by severe winter storms and flooding beginning on January 1, 2005, and continuing.

The President's action makes Federal funding available to affected individuals in the counties of Bartholomew, Benton, Blackford, Boone, Brown, Carroll, Cass, Clark, Clay, Clinton, Crawford, Daviess, Decatur, Delaware, Dubois, Floyd, Fountain, Gibson, Grant, Greene, Hamilton, Hancock, Harrison, Hendricks, Henry, Howard, Huntington, Jackson, Jay, Jennings, Johnson, Knox, Lawrence, Madison, Marion, Martin, Miami, Monroe, Montgomery, Morgan, Orange, Owen, Parke, Pike, Posey, Putnam, Randolph, Rush, Scott, Shelby, Sullivan, Tippecanoe, Tipton, Vanderburgh, Vermillion, Vigo, Wabash, Warren, Warrick, Washington, Wells, and White.

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.

Federal funding is also available on a cost-share basis for hazard mitigation measures statewide.

Representing the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), Michael D. Brown, Under Secretary for Emergency Preparedness and Response, Department of Homeland Security, named Ron Sherman as the Federal Coordinating Officer for Federal recovery operations in the affected area.

The Agency said that damage surveys are continuing in other areas, and more counties and additional forms of assistance may be designated after the assessments are completed.

The Agency said that residents and business owners who sustained losses in the designated counties can begin applying for assistance tomorrow by registering online at http://www.fema.gov or by calling 1-800-621-FEMA(3362) or 1-800-462-7585 (TTY) for the hearing and speech impaired. The toll-free telephone numbers will operate from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. seven days a week until further notice.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: FEMA (202) 646-4600.

For Immediate Release OFFICE OF THE PRESS SECRETARY January 21, 2005 Statement by the Press Secretary STATEMENT BY THE PRESS SECRETARY

Jeffrey F. Kupfer Director Federal Tax Reform

President George W. Bush today announced his intention to appoint one individual to serve in his administration:

The President intends to appoint Jeffrey F. Kupfer to be Executive Director of the President's Advisory Panel on Federal Tax Reform. He currently serves as Deputy Chief of Staff at the Treasury Department. Mr. Kupfer previously served as Special Assistant for policy in the White House Chief of Staff's office. Earlier in his career, he served as a Tax Counsel for the Senate Finance Committee and was a trial attorney in the Department of Justice's Tax Division. He earned his bachelor's degree from Yale University and his law degree from Harvard Law School. # # #

For Immediate Release Office of the Press Secretary January 19, 2005 Personnel Announcement