President gives state disaster funds OK

President Barack Obama is shown speaking to members of the Muslim-American community at the Islamic Society of Baltimore, Wednesday, Feb. 3, 2016, in Baltimore, Md. President Obama declared 38 counties in Arkansas as federal disaster areas Friday.
President Barack Obama is shown speaking to members of the Muslim-American community at the Islamic Society of Baltimore, Wednesday, Feb. 3, 2016, in Baltimore, Md. President Obama declared 38 counties in Arkansas as federal disaster areas Friday.

President Barack Obama declared 38 counties in Arkansas as federal disaster areas Friday, allowing them funds to clean up damages left by flooding, tornadoes and storms from Dec. 23 to Jan. 23 that killed three Arkansans.

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Arkansas Democrat-Gazette

A map showing Arkansas federal aid requests.

Gov. Asa Hutchinson sought the federal aid for the counties Jan. 26.

Obama approved the governor's request Friday evening, granting public assistance funds to repair roads, bridges and county- and municipal-owned facilities in 32 counties. They are: Benton, Boone, Bradley, Calhoun, Carroll, Clay, Crawford, Dallas, Drew, Franklin, Greene, Independence, Izard, Lawrence, Little River, Logan, Madison, Marion, Mississippi, Montgomery, Ouachita, Perry, Pike, Polk, Randolph, Scott, Searcy, Stone, Washington, White, Woodruff and Yell counties.

The president also granted individual assistance for homeowners to repair houses and to cover rental costs during repairs in Benton, Carroll, Crawford, Faulkner, Jackson, Jefferson, Lee, Little River, Perry, Sebastian and Sevier counties.

Additional designations may be added to the declaration if requested by the state and if warranted by the results of further damage assessments, a news release issued by the Arkansas Department of Emergency Management said Friday evening.

"I have determined that these storms were of such severity and magnitude that effective response is beyond the capabilities of the state and affected local governments, and that supplementary federal assistance is necessary," Hutchinson wrote in the Jan. 26 letter to President Barack Obama requesting help.

The state Department of Emergency Management said Arkansas saw $18.02 million in damage during the month of storms.

Two EF1 tornadoes with winds up to 110 mph struck southern Arkansas in late December near Hampton and Bearden. High winds also damaged roofs and toppled trees in Bradley County.

Heavy rains also caused the Arkansas River to reach near-record levels in early January, flooding scores of homes.

Hutchinson asked for $11.73 million for public assistance funds, which pay for repairs to roads, bridges and culverts and to any county- or municipal-owned facilities such as buildings, utilities and parks. He sought $6.29 million in individual assistance, which reimburses home owners for repairs and rental costs while those repairs are made.

Obama's approval is the 19th federal declaration issued for Arkansas since 2008, said Scott Bass, disaster management director with the state Department of Emergency Management. The state had no federal declarations issued in 2007 and one in 2006, he said.

The $18 million amount could go higher once all the repairs are reimbursed, Bass said.

"These are based on early preliminary damage assessments," he said. "A county may estimate that it will cost $500,000 to fix a bridge and it could end up costing $750,000 or more."

He said it also may take several years for a county to be fully reimbursed for some repairs. Receiving funds to replace a broken levee could take up to six years because of the myriad of engineering and environmental studies needed, Bass said.

"We will get whatever is eligible to the applicant," Bass said. "There's no competition with other states."

New York, Maryland, North Carolina and other Eastern states have requested federal disaster declarations after a January snowstorm that dumped more than 2 feet of snow in some areas.

"It's not a first-come, first-served, situation," Bass said. "There is plenty of money for disaster. If a state is eligible, they'll get assistance."

He said counties will be reimbursed by the federal government when they apply for funds once the repairs are made.

"It's a pay-as-you-fix it type reimbursement," Bass said.

J.R. Davis, a spokesman for Hutchinson, called the federal aid essential for Arkansans.

"It's important for counties to get some type of help to pick themselves back up," Davis said. "It's absolutely necessary, and it's an extremely important part of cleanup for those areas hit the hardest."

Benton County, which estimated $1.9 million in damages to roads and bridges -- and is the county with the largest request for aid -- saw torrential flooding in the western half, said County Judge Robert Clinard.

"It was flash flooding," he said of the Illinois River just south of Siloam Springs. "The water rose instantly and lasted for three hours. We had some homes with over 5 feet of water in them.

"Water is a lifesaver for our farmers, but also it can be an enemy."

Clinard said he expected his county's road crews to make some repairs to defray costs.

"It's a big deal for us to get federal aid," he said. "We saw a lot of damage."

In Clay County, which is seeking $843,289 for repairs to roads and bridges, County Judge Gary Howard said the federal money will greatly help.

Water from the Big Slough Ditch, which runs from the St. Francis River in the eastern edge of the county, washed out ditches and roads.

"It's been the worst I've seen since the ice storm," he said, referring to a February 2009 storm that toppled utility lines and knocked out electricity to homes for weeks. "We've been fortunate for a while, but it would be very devastating if we had to pay for this all.

"We'd be in trouble. Big trouble."

State Desk on 02/06/2016

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