Good Morning MJ: At last night’s Commission meeting, much of the evening was spent discussing the flood’s impact on Mt. Juliet and relief operations. Below are a few notes from the discussion:
According to Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Administrator Craig Fugate, the primary concern is registering people with FEMA and getting them temporary housing assistance. There are in excess of 17,900 individuals (as of 1300 hours,10 May) who have registered with FEMA so far, with more than $28 million in federal assistance committed.
For those with damage, the thrust at this time is to register in the FEMA database. Individuals who have flood damage, and who have not been contacted by FEMA, TEMA or local authorities, need to register in the FEMA data base. That process can start with calling 1-800-621-3362 (1-800-621-FEMA). You can also register through the web by going to www.disasterassistance.gov
Once registration takes place the person incurring flood damage will receive a phone call from FEMA to schedule an inspection of the residence or business. After the inspection, the FEMA official will provide a loss assessment, upon which a payment will be based.
Again, the key is registering in the FEMA data base. According to FEMA Federal Coordinating Officer, Gracia Szczech, once registered, it takes an average of 2-5 days for an inspector come out. It is taking an average of 7-10 days for the whole process to take place, from registration to payment. Any payment will be expedited by providing a checking account number, thus allowing the funds to be directly deposited.
Businesses with flood damage have their applications processed through the Small Business Administration (SBA). There are currently two FEMA Disaster Assistance Centers set up in middle Tennessee, with the closest one to Mt. Juliet at the 100 Oaks Mall. Chief John Jewell of WEMA indicates there is a plan to open one up at 350 Outlet Mall in Lebanon in the next few days. 448 houses, businesses or government facilities in Wilson County were identified to TEMA for eventual reporting to FEMA. Of that, 119 were in Mt. Juliet.
As you can see, the citizens of Wilson County were hard hit by the 1-2 May floods. Roughly 25% of the damaged facilities reported to FEMA were right here in Mt. Juliet. From a governmental perspective, we incurred damage to our road infrastructure as well to portions of the Charlie Daniels Park and City Hall. Possibly the biggest losses to our city stem from damages to the MJ Little League Park and Youth Football, with the LL Park extensively damaged and Youth Football loosing much of the equipment. At last night’s meeting the MJ BOC agreed to assist with rebuilding the Little League Park, and initially passed an ordinance to provide the League with $50k.
There will be more to come on the flood efforts, but I will close this report with a hearty thanks to the MJPD, Public Works and Parks for their exceptional work during this recent catastrophe.
Take care and talk with you later.
R. Robertson
To the Commissioners that voted yes for the $50,000 for the ballpark.....a BIG THANK YOU!!
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