U.S. is asked to help state’s storm-struck

Beebe seeks disaster status for 7 ice-damaged counties

— Gov. Mike Beebe asked President Barack Obama on Tuesday to issue a federal disaster declaration for seven Arkansas counties after a Christmas ice storm riddled some areas with costly damage and debris.

If granted, the major-disaster declaration would qualify the counties- Garland, Grant, Hot Spring, Lonoke, Perry, Pulaski and Saline - for federal aid to help cover cleanup costs.

The state estimated the counties had about $9.73 million in storm-related costs, Beebe’s letter said.

About three-quarters of that is for debris removal, his office said in a news release.

The storm delivered “unprecedented amounts of snow and ice to Arkansas, eventually breaking several snowfall records and producing a quarter inch of ice, which caused debris to litter public facilities across the state and created treacherous driving conditions,” Beebe’s letter to Obama said.

“The snow and ice contributed toward the loss of three lives and caused more than 260,000 power outages,” the letter said.

Utility companies worked through New Year’s Day restoring power and repairing damaged lines.

In Little Rock, piles of fallen trees still clutter curbs as workers rush to collect the debris.

The city estimates it will collect about 20,000 tons of debris by the time the work is completed, said Matt Burks, Little Rock’s emergency-management administrator.

It’s too early to calculate an exact cost for storm recovery, but Little Rock administrators estimate that they will spend about $3.3 million to clear roads and remove debris and fallen trees, which will be chipped and turned into mulch, Burks said.

Assistant Public Works Director Ronny Loe said workers have collected about 2,700 tons of debris in Little Rock so far.

The state calculated the total damage cost after crews from the Arkansas Department of Emergency Management viewed the worst-hit areas, Beebe’s letter said.

Workers found that the summer drought had left trees more susceptible to breaking or splitting, making damage more severe, he said.

Burks said the city expects “a storm of this magnitude” about every 10 years, and the recovery costs are not built into its annual budget.

The month before the storm, the National Weather Service warned the city that it was “past due” for a large winter storm, he said.

This Arkansas storm did not meet the eligibility criteria to obtain assistance for individual victims, Beebe’s release said.

Arkansas, Pages 9 on 01/23/2013

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