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FEMA visits county to see damage |
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Tuesday, 08 April 2008 |
 Saline County Emergency Management Assistant Director Laurie Shappard, middle, and representatives of the Arkansas Department of Emergency Management and the Federal Emergency Management Agency walk past a mobile home that caught fire during the recent storms that produce tornadoes and flooding in Saline County. FEMA agents are touring Saline County to assess damage for possible federal aid. (Courier photo by Matt Burks)
and Jillian Duke
Courier StaffResidents affected by Thursday’s severe storms that produced multiple tornadoes and flooding in Saline County soon may receive governmental aid through the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
“We are here to do some preliminary assessment in Saline County as well as several other counties in Arkansas,” FEMA Public Information Officer Jamilah Fraser said on Monday as she toured the area. “We need to see if there is enough damage for disaster assistance from FEMA.”
Fraser said representatives will be assessing several counties, including Saline, for “as long as it takes to make a community whole again.”
John Veach, a FEMA disaster assistance employee, said it is essential for any resident who suffered home damage because of the storms to call 800-621-FEMA.
“It doesn’t matter what income level a person is at, how much, if any, insurance they have or how much damage they received, they need to call us,” Veach said. “A homeowner might receive funding that their insurance doesn’t cover. We need to be contacted at that toll-free number regardless if the fire departments or whoever talked with them. They need to call and let us know to come out and view their property.”
Fraser explained that because Gov. Mike Beebe declared the counties of Arkansas, Garland, Lonoke, Pulaski, St. Francis and Saline as disaster areas, they may be included in the governor’s previous request for federal disaster assistance related to the Feb. 7 federal disaster declaration in Arkansas. Counties can qualify for individual assistance, for residents uninsured or underinsured, to be eligible for funds up to $28,800 to help rebuild. The county government bodies also can qualify for public assistance to help rebuild roads, rebuild structure damage and other costs as a result of a disaster.
This news is timely not only for Saline County, but also for many residents ravaged by the recent severe weather such as Elisa Smith and D.D. Nichols. Both were affected by the storms in different ways and are hoping FEMA can help them pick up their lives again.
Nichols, 44, a father of three, said close to 3 feet of rushing water filled his home at 2122 Misty Circle off Arkansas 35 in a matter of 30 minutes during Thursday’s storms. The flood water was rising so fast and so dangerous that the Benton Fire Department evacuated at least six homes on that street and another on a neighboring street.
“I had to evacuate my wife and kids out of a window because I couldn’t even open any doors,” Nichols said. “I already had 4 inches of water inside the home and the only thing that was stopping more from getting in was that I had every door shut. It was so fast ... the water rose from about 6 inches to about 3 feet in a matter of 30 minutes. It was like a waterfall.”
Smith, 47, said her experience was literally a topsy-turvy ordeal as a tornado picked up her mobile home in the Hurricane Lake Mobile Home Park off Arkansas 5 in Benton and dropped it on top of her son’s mobile home directly behind her property. She said “thankfully” her children weren’t home at the time.
“I thought this is not happening and the next minute I looked up and all I saw was the sky,” Smith said. “I had squatted down in the closet of my room and I guess all the clothes that wrapped around me protected me. I just got up and crawled out.”
Nichols, whose family has been staying with nearby neighbors, said this is the second time his home has been flooded and that he has no plans to return.
“I was hit in 2001 with about 6 inches,” Nichols said. “This time it got everything. You know it is kind of weird being homeless, but everyone has been helping us clean up.”
Smith, who has been staying at a local motel, said although she has lived in a mobile home for many years, she hopes to soon buy a house. She also said she is thankful to find several items belonging to her daughter who has Down syndrome.
“Her room was her whole life,” Smith said. “We found an autographed REO Speedwagon picture and an autographed picture of Gov. Beebe when he introduced her last year at the Special Olympics. Those really mean a lot to her.”
Saline County Judge Lanny Fite said representatives from FEMA will be here Wednesday to assess how much, if any, it will assist the county with such things as road repairs.
“We’ve given the department supervisors cameras to document damage and we’re preparing a file that we’ll show them tomorrow,” Fite said.
Since the three tornadoes roared through the county Thursday night, Fite said much has been repaired. “We’ve prioritized the work and a couple of private contractors have been helping us with things like fixing washed-out culverts so we can get the roads back in service.”
If FEMA provides no assistance, Fite said the county’s emergency fund “will be hit really, really hard. If they declare it, we’ll probably receive assistance in the neighborhood of $50,000 to $100,000.”
For county residents, there is assistance available through the National Flood Insurance Program through FEMA. Fite said the county passed an ordinance in 2003, which allows residents to buy flood insurance through the program.
“FEMA can come in and reimburse them,” Fite said, noting that residents may not build in the floodplain if they want the flood insurance.
FEMA representatives Fraser and Veach said if residents don’t call the 1-800-621-FEMA toll-free number, they should go to www.fema.gov for more information about disaster assistance and other helpful information.
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