Mike McCagg ccSCOOP News 03-05-09 - Dozens of area municipalities and emergency response agencies are now eligible for federal assistance following President Barack Obama’s decision on Wednesday to declare the devastation wrought by the December 11-12 ice storm a federal disaster. From salting roads and removing debris, to restoring power, extinguishing fires, pumping basements, and establishing emergency shelters, municipalities and emergency agencies throughout the county were involved in the ice storm response and recovery.

As a result of Obama’s designation, they are now eligible to recoup some of the costs associated with their response to the storm that damaged houses, destroyed trees, closed schools, made roads impassable, and left parts of the county without power for more than a week.

Columbia County was among nine counties in New York to receive the designation following an appeal last month by Governor David Paterson of an earlier federal rejection of the designation. Under provisions of the federal disaster declaration, assistance for state and local governments in the declared counties includes:

• Reimbursement of at least 75 percent of the eligible costs for repairing or replacing damaged public facilities, such as roads, bridges, utilities, buildings, schools, recreational areas, and similar publicly owned property, as well as certain private non-profit organizations—such as fire companies—engaged in community service activities.
• Reimbursement of at least 75 percent of the eligible costs for removing debris from public areas and for emergency measures taken to save lives and protect property and public health.
• Federal funding on a cost-sharing basis for hazard mitigation measures statewide.

Specifically, this may bring a flood of federal funding into the county for costs such as equipment damaged or destroyed during or after the storm, whether it be fire hose, a plow, or even—in the case of the Village of Kinderhook—an entire fire truck. The village’s engine 35-1 was destroyed when trees fell on it while crews were out answering an emergency call on the evening of December 11. This could relieve the burden to area taxpayers for these costs. In the past, the federal designation has allowed volunteer fire companies to seek reimbursement for the work-hours volunteers spent answering disaster-related calls.

Many Columbia County agencies were already working with representatives of the State Emergency Management Organization (SEMO) to gather the information needed to seek federal and state assistance with storm costs.

William Peat, a spokesman for SEMO, said this week that four agency representatives are currently working with Columbia County agencies and municipalities and putting together information on agency responses and what will be eligible for assistance.   

Those efforts began last month with a meeting in the county and will continue through mid-April, when applications for assistance must be submitted.