For the past week, Lowndes County Emergency Management Director Cindy Lawrence has been holding regular briefings for groups involved in responding to the Feb. 23 tornado and flooding that swept through the county.
During Friday’s briefing, Lawrence urged those groups to finish their damage assessments as early as possible so the information can be passed along to Gov. Phil Bryant, who can then ask President Donald Trump to declare a state of emergency and trigger funding from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).
While those gathered — including officials from the county, city of Columbus, utilities, law enforcement, relief agencies and the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency (MEMA) — agreed to have their assessments finished by Tuesday, how soon that request reaches the governor may rely as much on what happens in 45 other counties as anything that happened among those who met in Lawrence’s conference room Friday.
“It’s important to remember that this isn’t just about a tornado, although I certainly understand why people in Columbus would see it that way,” said Ray Coleman, external affairs director for MEMA. “There is also a major flooding event, too. The tornado and the flooding is considered one event and it will be presented that way.”
According to MEMA, 45 counties — more than half the state — saw flooding that continued into the week following the EF-3 tornado that ripped through Columbus on Feb. 23.
All of those counties will be doing their own damage assessments, which could delay presenting the overall assessment to the governor.
“I’m sure everyone in all the affected areas are working as quickly as they can,” Coleman said. “They understand the urgency. But in a lot of these counties, the flood waters haven’t receded to the point where they can get in and assess the damages.”
Because the Columbus tornado and the flooding are considered one event, two damage thresholds must be met in order to qualify for a disaster declaration and FEMA support.
The threshold in Lowndes County, which includes assessment for the tornado and flooding, is $225,000 while the overall threshold for the state is $4.5 million, figures both local and state officials believe will be easily met.
“I think Lowndes County alone would cover a pretty big chunk of the state total,” Lawrence said.
According to MEMA data, 38 business and 275 residences in Lowndes County have sustained damage. In Clay County, 72 homes and two businesses were damaged. One home was damaged in Noxubee County. There were no reports of damage in Oktibbeha County.
No dollar figures are estimated for the damage done to private businesses, although that will be part of the overall assessment presented to the governor, Coleman said.
Relief, repair efforts ongoing
In addition to getting updates on the assessments from each group, Lawrence also used Friday’s meeting to get updates on relief efforts. For those seeking SNAP assistance to replace food that may have spoiled in the aftermath of the disasters, the Department of Human Resources will accept SNAP assistance through Tuesday. Anyone who wants to apply for the benefits should apply at the DHS office at 1604 College St. Monday or Tuesday. The DHS offices are open from 8 a.m. until 5 p.m. both days.
Columbus Light and Water General Manager Todd Gale reported that efforts to restore electricity have been completed.
“We believe, as of Thursday, we’ve gotten power to everyone who can have power,” Gale said, noting CLW has worked with the city’s building inspector to determine which homes and businesses can safely be reconnected.
Gale said the next priority will be restoring streetlights, starting with those that see the most traffic.
Columbus Police Chief Fred Shelton said his department has stepped up patrols in areas where streetlights are inoperable.
Jabari Edwards, owner of J-5, the city’s project management firm, said the city council will be asked to solicit bids for debris removal at Tuesday’s regular meeting. Currently, the city’s public works department is removing debris moved to city rights-of-way and taking it to a temporary site near the county landfill. Edwards said the city will continue to remove debris until an outside company is hired.
The need for temporary housing appears to be minimal. By Friday, just seven people remained at the American Red Cross shelter at Townsend Community Center on 15th Street South.
Citizens asked to be patient
United Way of Lowndes County Director Renee Sanders said the Disaster Center in Trotter Convention Center downtown is coordinating volunteers to help with short-term damage, although there is some confusion about what services the Disaster Center provides.
“We’ve had a lot of people coming in telling us about their cars, telling us about their dentures, their glasses, the food in their freezers,” Sanders said. “That’s not what we’re here to do. We’re here to get their roofs covered and find out what happened to their houses so we can get the right volunteers out there.”
Lawrence urged even those who don’t need immediate assistance, but have suffered damages, to sign up with MEMA officials at the Disaster Center.
“That way, when FEMA does get here, the information will be ready for them as they begin their own assessments,” Lawrence said.
Coleman said once a state of emergency has been declared, FEMA will cover 75 percent of the recovery costs while MEMA will cover an additional 12.5 percent for all public damage and associated costs, such as debris removal and costs for law enforcement, utilities and other public entities that may have used their own resources to respond to the disaster.
Individual claims are made directly to FEMA.
“Even if you have homeowners insurance, FEMA can help with uncovered costs, such as a deductible,” Coleman said. “Really, FEMA will be able to cover the costs that insurance may not cover.”
Coleman also urged those affected by the storms to be patient.
“I think a lot of people think that FEMA shows up the next day,” Coleman said. “Unfortunately, that’s not how it works. It may be several weeks. In fact, FEMA just started working in an area in South Mississippi that had a flooding event around Christmas. There are a lot of steps along the way, which is why people who are affected should seek the help of local agencies who are meeting the short-term needs.”
Slim Smith is a columnist and feature writer for The Dispatch. His email address is [email protected].
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