Montgomery County is among 28 Arkansas Counties to receive public assistance to repair damage caused by flooding and severe storms that ravaged the state from early May through June.
According to a statement released by the Arkansas Department of Emergency Management (ADEM), they have been working with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and local emergency management coordinators to complete preliminary assessments of the damage.
Public damages state wide is estimated to be over $6 million while 370 homes have been reported to have received damage.
Individual assistance and public assistance from FEMA has been made possible by a recent disaster declaration made by President Barack Obama. Residences fall under the individual assistance program. Monetary estimates for individual assistance can’t be made until all claims have been filed.
Montgomery County is not among the nine counties slated to receive individual assistance for individuals, but will receive public assistance for emergency work and repair or replacement of disaster damaged facilities.
Public assistance breaks down into seven catagories.
Debris removal – removal of disaster related items from public property including roads.
Emergency Protective measures – search and rescue, emergency levees, sandbagging, etc.
Roads and bridges – repair of roads and bridges.
Water control facilities – repair of water control facilities (levees, dams, drainage, etc.)
Buildings and equipment – repair or replacement of buildings, heavy equipment and vehicles.
Utilities – repair of power, sewage and water facilities.
Parks and recreational facilities – repair and restoration of parks, playgrounds, mass transit, etc.
Damages to public facilities in Montgomery County totaled $105,470. Damage to roads and bridges made up the bulk of the damage with damages valued at $102,400. Other damage included $2,070 for debris removal and $1,000 for emergency protective measures.
Counties receiving public assistance include Clark, Crawford, Dallas, Franklin, Garland, Hempstead, Howard, Independence, Izard, Jefferson, Johnson, Lafayette, Little River, Logan, Madison, Marion, Miller, Montgomery, Nevada, Newton, Ouachita, Perry, Pike, Polk, Scott, Searcy, Sevier and Yell counties.
Counties receiving individual assistance include Crawford, Garland, Howard, Jefferson, Little River, Miller, Perry, Sebastian, and Sevier counties.
Through the Hazard Mitigation Grant Program, funds will be available for actions taken to prevent or reduce long-term risk to life and property from natural hazards for all areas of the state.
Additional designations may be added to the declaration if requested by the state and warranted by results of further damage assessments.
Arkansas Department of Emergency Management and Federal Emergency Management Agency officials will soon announce plans to open offices throughout the affected areas to accept assistance applications.
