Starke County Emergency Management Agency Director J. Nier is still waiting to hear back from FEMA representatives about individual assistance for the county.
When FEMA initially declared which counties were eligible for individual assistance for flood damage, Starke County was not included. However, Nier explained that was due to an error with the organization’s reporting app, not because the county didn’t need the help.
She reported, “FEMA had an app that they originally had us using. Well, they found out that there were some glitches in the app. So the good thing is that I actually documented everything on paper and had pictures to back it up.”
After Nier submitted the necessary documentation through the proper channels, FEMA representatives were sent out to evaluate the status of the county. On Friday, FEMA crews began conducting individual assessments on damaged homes.
Nier added that aside from structural assessments, the individuals living in the damaged homes will be interviewed as well.
Starke County has already been deemed eligible for public assistance through FEMA, which allows for federal funds to be utilized by department heads for flood-related infrastructure repairs. If individual assistance is provided, federal funds will be available to assist homeowners with costs related to repairing the flood damage on their own properties.
