By Traci Chapman/Staff Writer
published Dec. 29, 2007

Federal Emergency Management Agency officials declared Canadian County a disaster area Dec. 21, citing $1.1 million in damages suffered in the county as a result of the Dec. 10 ice storm.

The declaration comes following a request by Gov. Brad Henry recently to add the county to the list approved by President Bush earlier in the month.

The president had previously declared seven Oklahoma counties eligible for assistance in connection with the ice storm and its aftermath. County Emergency Management Director Jerry Smith said FEMA officials toured the county Dec. 20 and found the damage exceeded the required $272,000 in damages needed to become eligible for public assistance.

“FEMA found $742,000 in damages for debris removal and emergency protective measures, such as removing limbs from streets, salting and sanding,” he said. “Local co-ops also had damage.”

Local electrical cooperatives have submitted reimbursement requests totaling $358,000, Smith said.

Sid Sperry, director of public relations and communications for the Oklahoma Association of Electric Cooperatives, said because co-ops are nonprofit in nature, they are eligible for reimbursement by FEMA. Sperry said co-ops submit damages to the Oklahoma Office of Emergency Management, which then forwards the figures to FEMA.

“FEMA then assesses damages in counties that have met the threshold,” he said. “Co-ops can be reimbursed for labor and equipment charges, extra manpower and contract labor, if they needed it.”

If funding is approved, FEMA reimburses entities 75 percent of damages. Sperry said OEM then may contribute as much as 12.5 percent of the damages, if that reimbursement is approved by the Legislature.

Smith said public assistance is different from aid to individuals. Under the criteria approved by FEMA last week, aid will be provided for infrastructure damage, and federal funding will be available to assist with repairs to bridges, roads and public facilities, debris removal and costs associated with responding to the storm.

Smith said while damage to the northern areas of the county appeared fairly light, Mustang seemed to be “hardest hit” this time around.

Mustang City Council declared the city a disaster area Dec. 13. City Manager David Cockrell said the city continues to follow all of FEMA’s guidelines so it is eligible for reimbursement for expenses incurred as a result of “massive” debris removal. The city requested bids for limb collection and destruction. Those bids were received last week and City Council considered them Wednesday at a special meeting.

“We have received several bids, and I feel very confident we have received the right bids to get the job done they way we want it to be done,” Cockrell said. “We are looking at Jan. 2 to start removal.”

“It’s been quite a year,” Smith said. “We’ve had a lot to deal with this year as a county.”