Disaster recovery back in operation after declaration

Supervisors were meeting at press time Monday to outline debris cleanup after the state finally received a presidential disaster declaration to activate federal funding following the March 15 tornadoes that cut a wide path through much of Walthall County.
Much of Monday’s discussion involved the importance of documentation, volunteer and county hours, work and equipment in order for the county to qualify for reimbursement.
Emergency Operations Director Royce McKee said the Small Business Administration set up last week at the county emergency operations center—the old national guard armory—to take applications, and he said FEMA/MEMA (the Federal and Mississippi Emergency Management Agencies) are also setting up at the center.
The county is working toward documenting all storm damage, including a continuation of moving storm debris to roadside for pickup.
A part of that work was accomplished prior to the disaster declaration, anticipating that the declaration would be forthcoming in order to maximize the county eligibility for FEMA/MEMA reimbursement.
In order to maximize coverage, damage to roadways, public buildings and facilities, the removal of trees from creeks and streams to avoid future blockages has to be taken into consideration.
Board president Doug Popwell said supervisors would be looking at the situation in depth Monday afternoon-
“What we want to do is restore Walthall County as much as we can to what it was before the storm. With the declaration, we are on our way to recovery, and we want to take advantage of federal recovery efforts,” Popwell said.
In the past, for a declared disaster, FEMA provides 75% reimbursement; 12.5% comes from the state and local government puts up 12.5%.
President Trump had earlier suggested a revamping of FEMA, but there’s been no further word on those plans.