Ice Storm Now An Official Disaster Clinton Announces Federal Help For November Storm Damages

Kootenai Electric Cooperative is trying to get the federal government to pay for $1.3 million in damages from November’s ice storm.

But the electric utility isn’t the only one eligible for government help to cover the costs of the storm.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency announced Friday that the natural disaster declared in Idaho actually started Nov. 16 instead of Dec. 27.

The official incident period was extended to cover the ice storm. The last day of the incident is officially Jan. 3.

President Clinton made the announcement Friday at the request of Gov. Phil Batt and Sen. Larry Craig, R-Idaho, according to Craig’s office.

“This is a very unusual event that an incident period is changed this far back,” said Wendy Meador, FEMA spokeswoman.

The change means that any damages suffered from the ice storm, or wages lost as a result of the storm, could be recovered through FEMA programs or Small Business Administration loans.

North Idaho counties eligible for the federal help are Kootenai, Bonner, Boundary, Benewah, Shoshone, Latah and Clearwater.

A rough estimate of damages suffered in Kootenai County as a result of the ice storm is about $2 million, said Sandy Von Behren, county disaster services operations coordinator. Most of that was damage to KEC’s power system.

Although the ice storm wasn’t originally included in the president’s disaster declaration, some residents were calling FEMA to register for assistance anyway, Von Behren said.

“Some were able to register, and others were turned away,” she said.

Government agencies and private non-profit organizations that sustained damage need to attend an applicant’s briefing at 3 p.m., Feb. 6, at the Idaho Department of Transportation office on Prairie Avenue.

The Small Business Administration has scheduled several workshops for business disaster loans beginning next week. All workshops are from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. On Monday and Tuesday, they’re in Bonners Ferry at the Panhandle Health District offices, 7402 Caribou; Wednesday at the Interagency Department on Ontario Street in Sandpoint; on Thursday and Friday at Wells Fargo Bank, 504 Sherman Ave., in Coeur d’Alene.

, DataTimes MEMO: This sidebar appeared with the story: REGISTERING DAMAGE FEMA’s toll-free registration number for individuals is (800) 462-9029, or (800) 462-7585 for the hearing impaired.