During the Valley County Supervisors meeting Tuesday Morning, Region 26 presented on the progress on the county disaster declaration that was signed and sent to NEMA on March 15, 2019. The Presidential Declaration came back and Valley County has been approved for Category A for Debris Removal and Category B for Emergency Repairs.
The emergency repairs are non permanent repairs on county roads to make them passable.
At this time Valley County Roads Superintendent Jay Meyer has no guess as to how much the cost will be to repair all the roads and culverts damaged in the county. The initial estimate sent in to NEMA was $500,000.
Along with county reports, Region 26 Director Alma Belund is urging as many individuals as possible to report their damages to their website no later than the first week of April. Go to www.region26.org and click on the box on the right hand side of the page.
With enough damage reports from homeowners, Belund says there is more of a chance for FEMA representatives to inspect and determine if the county gets federal aid.
As of right now, according to NEMA, there is no “threshold” or dollar amount to solidify Individual Assistance, but this generic list gives a tentative idea of what level of damages homeowners may be at:
***This list does not guarantee federal aid for individuals, but rather gives NEMA an idea of the severity of damages in the area.
- AFFECTED
- Any water line in the crawl space or basement when essential living space or mechanical components are not damaged or submerged.
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- Cosmetic damage such as paint discoloration or loose siding
- Broken screens, gutter damage and debris
- Damage to an attached structure such as a porch, carport, garage or outbuilding not for commercial use.
- Damage to landscaping, retaining walls, or downed trees that do not affect access to the residence
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- MINOR
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- Waterline less than or equal to 18 inches in an essential living space (main level)
- Damage to mechanical components. Nonstructural damage to the interior wall component to include drywall, insulation.
- Nonstructural damage to exterior components
- Multiple small vertical cracks in the foundation
- Damage or disaster related contamination to a private well or septic system
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- MAJOR
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- Waterline greater than 18 inches in an essential living space, a waterline above the electrical outlets, or a waterline on the first floor of a residence when basement is completely full.
- Failure or partial failure to structural elements of the walls to include framing, sheathing, etc.
- Failure or partial failure to foundation to include crumbling, bulging, collapsing, horizontal cracks greater than 2 feet and shifter of the residence on the foundation greater than 6 feet.
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- DESTROYED
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- Complete failure to two or more major structural components, such as collapse of basement walls/foundation, walls or roof
- Only foundation remains
- A residence that will require immediate demolition or removal because of disaster related damage or confirmed imminent danger (e.g. impeding landslides, mudslides, or sinkholes)
