Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: FRIDAY, May 20, 1994                   TAG: 9405200072
SECTION: VIRGINIA                    PAGE: B-2   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: From staff and wire reports
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium

ICE-DAMAGE ASSISTANCE LIST GROWS

The Federal Emergency Management Agency is giving Virginia governments up to $4 million.

The state Department of Emergency Services said this week that five jurisdictions have been added to the federal disaster area declared by President Clinton.

Joining the list for March damage were the counties of Hanover, Montgomery, Pittsylvania and Roanoke. The city of Galax was added for February damage.

The jurisdictions were added based on additional damage information gathered since the original declarations, said Bob Gunter, FEMA's coordinating officer.

A total of 72 jurisdictions are eligible for assistance for the February storm and 33 for March.

The ice storms did millions of dollars in damage as they toppled trees, downed power lines and crushed houses and buildings.

The storms cost state and local governments and nonprofit electric cooperatives more than $38 million. The figure does not include losses incurred by individuals and by for-profit electric companies.

``As far as an ice storm ... what do you do?'' asked FEMA's Bob Linck. ``Do you come in and put up a dome? Do you hack down all the trees?''

FEMA and Emergency Services made 12 recommendations Wednesday in a hazard mitigation report.

The biggest concern, they said, is the increased potential for forest fires. The trees fractured and toppled during the ice storm now cover forest floors with fresh, flammable natural fuel. The longer the fallen trees have to dry, the greater the potential for fires.

``If we get a dry period over the next three or four years, it could cause some big problems,'' said Greg Sanders of the Virginia Department of Forestry.

The report recommends: increasing fire prevention, developing aerial response, increase fire equipment and installing additional weather stations.

The report also listed flooding as a potential problem. It suggested governments clean and redesign drainage ditches and adopt stormwater management plans.

``These recommendations are just recommendations," Linck said. "We can't require them.''