JANUARY 28, 2010 ISSUE
Gov. Perdue Makes Emergency Declaration for Western North Carolina
More than $9 million in Federal Funds Being Sought for Winter Storms
Gov. Bev Perdue signed an emergency declaration this week to help 15 Western North Carolina counties recover from the snow and ice storms that hit the state in December 2009. The declaration of a State of Emergency is the first step in seeking federal funds to pay for debris clearing, emergency utility restoration and other damages. The state is seeking more than $9 million in federal funds, and is now waiting on the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to make a decision on releasing the funds.
“The federal assistance is needed to help our communities recover losses from the heavy snows, icing and flooding,” Perdue said. “Power service was lost to thousands of residents, drinking water facilities were damaged and significant amounts of debris had to be cleared. I want to commend our local and state emergency management, law enforcement and transportation officials for their outstanding response and tireless work to respond to these storms.”
According to Watauga County Emergency Management Official and Fire Marshal Steve Suddreth, Watauga County conducted an initial damage assessment at the beginning of January. Two weeks ago, the state came to the county and conducted a preliminary damage assessment and, last week, FEMA came to the county and conducted a preliminary damage assessment. In order to receive PA (public assistance) funding from FEMA and the state, Watauga County must prove that more than $11.5 million in damages were incurred in the county because of the holiday storms, said Suddreth.
“There is a threshold of $11.5 million in damages to get a [public assistance] emergency declaration approved,” explained Suddreth.
Preliminary damage assessments indicate costs to recover from the back-to-back winter storms will exceed $12.5 million. According to Suddreth, the Governor’s office estimated $13.3 million in damages from the storms statewide. Utility restoration accounts for more than half of the total bill, while debris removal accounts for about one third of the total cost.
The N.C. Division of Emergency Management estimates the state will pay $3.1 million to recover from the winter storms; the federal government is being asked to reimburse the remainder.
“This action simply opens the door for the state to apply to the federal level to get the funding,” said Suddreth. “We’re waiting [on FEMA]. We don’t know anything yet.”
The emergency declaration covers Alleghany, Avery, Ashe, Buncombe, Burke, Caldwell, Haywood, Jackson, Madison, McDowell, Mitchell, Rutherford, Transylvania, Watauga and Yancey counties. Watauga ($3.3 million) and Madison ($1.8 million) counties incurred the most damage. Ashe, Avery, Burke and Haywood counties each sustained more than $1 million in damages.
According to Suddreth, individuals in Watauga County did not incur enough damage from the storms to be considered for IA (individual assistance) funds from FEMA and the state. “We didn’t quite meet the threshold for IA,” said Suddreth.
The winter storms that began December 18, 2009, blanketed much of the western part of the state with up to two feet of snow in a 48-hour period. The heavy snowfall stranded a number of motorists for hours, many sought refuge in shelters. Ice and snow from the storm knocked down trees, damaged roads and bridges and caused widespread power outages for thousands. A week later, heavy rains caused flooding and icing downing more trees and leading to additional power outages.
Community Interest
News & Notes
Events
Arts & Entertainment
