FARGO - After four months of storms, floods and even a tornado, the federal government said today it will close North Dakota's presidential disaster declaration period on Aug. 10.
The closing date coincides with the deadline for applying for individual assistance from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, said FEMA's Justo "Tito" Hernandez, federal coordinating officer for the North Dakota disaster.
The Aug. 10 date also accounts for additional flood damage expected in the Devils Lake area, he said.
"We want to give ample space for those damages to occur and for us to be able to cover those damages," he said.
The presidential disaster declaration was granted March 24 for 34 counties and two tribal nations. It's since been expanded to 48 of the state's 53 counties.
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Hernandez said he can't say for sure if it's the longest open disaster period in the nation's history, "but it's definitely close."
Hernandez announced the Aug. 10 closing date this morning during a recovery operations meeting at the state Department of Emergency Services.
State Homeland Security Director Greg Wilz said state officials had originally picked Aug. 15 as a milestone date, because the level of Devils Lake is usually stabilized by then as summer rains taper off and evaporation increases.
When FEMA came back with the Aug. 10 date, "we thought that was pretty realistic," Wilz said.
"Essentially, what that means is that from that date forward, any damages or any request for assistance will no longer be accepted by FEMA," he said.
As of Saturday, FEMA had disseminated $7.2 million in individual assistance to North Dakota homeowners and renters, while the Small Business Administration had doled out almost $12 million in low-interest loans to individuals and businesses, DES spokeswoman Cecily Fong said. FEMA also has obligated $10.9 million to public entities for repairs to roads, bridges, culverts and other infrastructure, she said.
Wilz and Hernandez urged those who incurred flood damage but haven't applied for assistance to call the FEMA hotline at (800) 621-3362.
For more details, see Wednesday's Forum
