President Obama agrees Davis County wind storm was a disaster

WASHINGTON  — The Obama administration agrees with what mayors, residents and Davis County officials have known since Dec. 1, when a hurricane-strength wind storm wreaked havoc on the area: the place was a disaster.

On Wednesday, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) announced it was making federal disaster aid relief available to the county, which saw thousands of trees felled, school buses damaged and other public infrastructure ruined, such as toppled traffic signals and missing street signs.

A FEMA preliminary damage estimate conducted during January identified about $4.1 million in costs and damages to public entities and public infrastructure.

The late evening Nov 30 and nearly all day Dec. 1 windstorm led to the closure of public schools and an emergency declaration by Centerville officials because of a city-wide power outage and detached power lines.

Power outages were widespread in the county and in some instances power was not restored for days. Public and private golf courses suffered tree losses in the hundreds and some businesses reported losses as high as $250,000.

The National Weather Service in Salt Lake City said winds were clocked as high as 104 mph — or hurricane strength. Gov. Gary Herbert activated the Utah National Guard in the ensuing days to help with cleanup.

The authorization by President Obama makes federal funding available to state and eligible local governments and certain private nonprofit organizations in Davis County on a cost-sharing basis for emergency work and the repair or replacement of facilities damaged by the storm.

Assistance for affected state and local governments can include:

• Payment of not less than 75 percent of the eligible costs for repairing or replacing damaged public facilities, such as roads, bridges, utilities, buildings, schools, recreational areas and similar publicly owned property, as well as certain private non-profit organizations engaged in community service activities.

• Payment of not less than 75 percent of the eligible costs for removing debris from public areas and for emergency measures taken to save lives and protect property and public health.

• Payment of not more than 75 percent of the approved costs for hazard mitigation projects undertaken to prevent or reduce long-term risk to life and property from natural or technological disasters. 

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