Wyoming governor says Jackson could get financial aid

Wyoming Gov. Matt Mead toured the site of the Jackson hill slide Monday morning.

Mead told town officials there are about seven different potential sources of state or federal funding, but none have been requested so far.

“We can ask FEMA to come in for a presidential disaster. There has to be a minimum threshold, unfortunately, in terms of the dollar amount,” said Mead.

Mead said getting federal funding could take some time. Meanwhile, the town of Jackson could run out of money.

“You’re talking many millions of dollars,” said Mead.

So far, the town has spent more than $600,000 to secure the slide from its original $750,000 budget. Mead said the state has an emergency fund set aside, which would likely be available as soon as the town requests it.

“If there’s an immediate need and the request is made by the town and county, we can address that at a very fast pace,” said Mead.

Crews have placed about 12 million pounds of weight at the toe of the slide, which has greatly slowed the rate of the movement.

The hill has slid about one-tenth of an inch per day since the weight was placed there.

Editor’s Note: Some of the footage used in this report was provided by Bradley J. Boner/Jackson Hole News&Guide.