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FEMA/MEMA pick up tab for damages By SUE WATSON
Staff Writer A
May 1-2 flood that did an estimated $365,500 in damages to county
infrastructure is being paid for with federal and state disaster relief
funds, according to county administrator Larry Hall. The county and
state are picking up 12.5 percent each of the tab. Hall
said the federal dollars helped the county out of a funding pinch by
reimbursing the county for damages. Federal and state agents have
worked hand in glove with the county to identify eligible projects and
to keep track of the bookkeeping requirements, he said. Some of the work was to repair washed-out culverts and roads and to clear debris left by high floodwaters. “It’s
taken a lot of our time, but is worth it in the long run,” he said. “It
had to be done whether they helped out or not. They (FEMA/MEMA
officials) are very much in agreement and complimentary of what we have
done.” The work will be audited to meet federal and state accountability standards. Supervisors
discussed progress on repairing roads damaged by heavy freeze/thaws
last winter, saying they have been getting lots of calls from
constituents about the unfinished repairs. Hall
said a contractor has been helping work on roads in critical need of
repair. The contractor puts down soil cement and reseal and the county
comes back over the area with tar and asphalt. Hall
said a breakdown in the tar truck had set crews behind in keeping up
with the contractor. Only serious potholes are being dealt with on the
first go around, he said. Supervisor Ronnie Joe
Bennett suggested the county may need to purchase more asphalt-type
equipment. He reminded the board that his district still has lots of
unpaved roads. “But it is taking everything we
have to maintain what we have,” he said, adding that he wants all roads
repaired and work done fairly in each district. Some
citizens have been critical of the standards of paving on county roads
but the county cannot afford to build them any better, he said. Even
some state-paved roads like Highway 349 in his district “came all to
pieces last winter,” he said. “We are not used to that kind of
freezing.” Hall said the county crews cannot get all the damaged roads repaired that need reseal. On
the light side, a new spray truck capable of carrying 2,000 gallons is
helping the county check some kudzu growth, he said. The vine can grow
up to a foot a day. In the garbage collection
audit, Hall said can counts and non-active accounts are being
reconciled and some customers did not owe anything due to having moved.
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