Monroe County Receives Federal Disaster Declaration After April Storms

MONROE COUNTY, Miss. (WCBI)- Monroe County is one of eight counties selected to get a federal disaster declaration.

This comes after multiple tornadoes ripped through the area in April.

The declaration does not include individual assistance, it’s strictly for public assistance.

County leaders said this is a major step as they continue to rebuild after the storms.

“The declaration was a great thing, it just gives us that assurance that we thought was coming anyway, but now we know that we are going to be able to be reimbursed,” said Sonny Clay, Monroe County Road Manager.

With the federal disaster declaration and help from the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency, Clay said the county will be refunded 87 percent of the money it spent on storm recovery.

“We’re probably right now somewhere at a little over $1 million that we’ve already picked up that much debris at the contractors rate,” said Clay. “That declaration means that instead of it costing us that $1 million, we’re only looking at right now and about $125,000 in the county’s expense.”

Also included in the declaration, multiple water and power associations that received damages, along with the Hamilton Volunteer Fire Department, will be eligible to be reimbursed as well.

“FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency) or MEMA will have to get on site, verify all of these expenditures,” Clay explained. “You’re not just going to tell them you spent $1 million and just get 75 percent of it back. You’re going to have to show them where you’ve paid the contractors and those kinds of things.”

Now that they’ve received the declaration and state assistance, Clay estimates the county will only have to spend roughly $250,000 out of its pockets for storm damage.

He said they will dip into the rainy day fun to do so.

“Nobody wants to spend a rainy day fund,” Clay expressed. “Nobody wants to have to dip into the budget and do something, but that’s for when emergencies happen. Nobody can control the storms when they come, and how many come, and what damage they do, you just got to take it when it does and do what you can to clean it up and to recover from it. I think Monroe County will certainly see a full recovery from this.”

When it comes to individual assistance, Clay said the county received a $250,000 dollar grant from MEMA that they will use to help out those still in need.

Other counties in the declaration include Clay, Itawamaba, Oktibbeha, Kemper, Clarke, Warren and Yazoo counties.