Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: FRIDAY, February 25, 1994 TAG: 9402250046
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: B-6 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
Bob Gunther, a regional FEMA director based in Philadelphia, said he planned to submit his report on public property damage today.
Gov. George Allen will use the information from the federal government when deciding which storm-damaged regions in Virginia should be declared disaster areas. If the Clinton administration agrees with Allen's recommendations, the areas would be eligible for federal aid.
The FEMA verification teams and state emergency services officials saw damaged buildings and brush and fallen limbs in Lynchburg, the New River Valley and Caroline County. In Buchanan County, they saw damage from flooding that was part of the same weather system.
Roger Raines, director of fire and rescue operations in Caroline County, said Thursday that no locality has the financial resources to prepare for such a natural disaster.
"We're dealing with a once-in-a-century ice storm," Raines said after a meeting with FEMA examiners. "To deal with that possibility in the budget process would require us to raise taxes enormously and put a chest of money aside. That's why it's important for outside assistance."
But if Lynchburg's experience with a destructive windstorm in June is any guide, federal aid may be difficult to obtain.
At City Hall on Wednesday, Lynchburg Mayor Julian Adams smiled grimly at state Emergency Services Coordinator Addison Slayton and said, "We've got to stop meeting like this."
This was Slayton's second trip to Lynchburg in less than a year to help the city sort out the financial impact of a natural disaster. Federal and state delegations also toured the city after the windstorm.
The Feb. 11 ice storm caused an estimated $19 million in damage in Lynchburg, and the windstorm caused an estimated $25 million in damage.
The city's hour-long presentation to Slayton, Gunther and other state emergency officials seemed almost like an economic development pitch in reverse. Instead of a video showing off the city's virtues, the footage focused on the worst of the ice-storm damage.
The city is requesting $3 million in federal aid to cover uninsured and cleanup costs.
In August, FEMA rejected Lynchburg's request for $2.5 million to help cover uninsured damages from the windstorm. Last month, the city's appeal also was rejected.
Basil Keys, a member of one of the FEMA verification teams, said his group's only function was to "collect data. We're not evaluating anything. We're not offering opinions. All we're going to do is take the numbers back with us."
The state Department of Emergency Services said the ice storm's damage estimate includes about $31 million in uninsured costs, including about $22.6 million in the public sector. Local governments had $7.6 million in uninsured spending and losses including shelter operation costs and damage to municipal utilities. The state reported $10.2 million in uninsured spending and losses.
The ice storm also caused at least $1.7 million in damage to state-owned forests and parks.
Damage to the 50,000 acres of state forests held by the department was estimated at $1.2 million, Lou Southard, a spokesman for the state Department of Forestry in Charlottesville, said Wednesday.
by CNB