Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: WEDNESDAY, June 23, 1993 TAG: 9306230152
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-3 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE: DAVID REED ASSOCIATED PRESS
DATELINE: LYNCHBURG LENGTH: Medium
However, insurance covered 92 percent of the initial estimate of $50 million in damage from the thunderstorms, the state emergency services operations director said Tuesday.
"It's a miracle more people were not hurt," Wilder said after being shown a videotape of the storm damage in Lynchburg and visiting a few of the hardest-hit areas. The storm caused about 30 injuries in the Lynchburg area.
Wilder declared a state of emergency in Lynchburg, Bedford, Campbell County and Appomattox County - an order opening the door for state aid.
Wilder also said he has asked President Clinton, through the Federal Emergency Management Agency, to declare those four localities disaster areas and help pay uncompensated costs to local governments.
Damage assessment teams determined that 75 percent of the $2.7 million in uninsured storm costs incurred by state and local governments may be covered by federal disaster aid. The remaining 25 percent would have to be covered by state and local governments.
"The bottom line is people had insurance, and in the majority of cases the insurance provided coverage for their losses," said George Forseman of the Emergency Services Department.
The percentage of uninsured damage to private property was not high enough to make any locality eligible for federal aid to individual property owners and businesses, Forseman said.
According to local estimates made a few days after the powerful storm whipped across the state, Lynchburg had $20 million in damage, Dickenson County had $18 million, Campbell County had $5 million, Appomattox County had $4.5 million and Bedford had $1.7 million.
"The day-after estimates are always off-the-wall estimates," Forseman said.
But Lynchburg officials told Wilder on Tuesday that their estimate has grown to $26 million.
Southside Virginia was hit by hail that damaged a large number of cars, but insurance covered most of the repair costs, Forseman said.
Lynchburg had most of the uninsured damage - $2.2 million, according to the assessment teams. The storm, with winds reaching 80 mph, knocked down thousands of trees, many of which landed on houses. Debris removal not covered by insurance cost the city $1.6 million.
The city had spent most of its $1.4 million contingency fund to pay for snow removal after the March blizzard and now has only $4,000 left, Finance Director Mike Hill told Wilder.
"The disaster could not have occurred at a more inopportune time," Hill said.
The city will have to furlough employees and put off purchases of heavy equipment unless it gets some state and federal aid, he said.
Virginia requested $14 million in federal disaster assistance after the blizzard but has been granted only half that amount so far, Forseman said.
Wilder said he will "piggyback" the request for federal assistance to pay bills stemming from the thunderstorms with another call for blizzard aid.
"We'll say, `In the meantime, guess what else has happened?' "Wilder said.
by CNB