Some Counties Get Double Dose Of Disaster Some Areas Hadn’t Repaired Flood Damage When Snows Hit

Erratic Idaho weather has earned some North Idaho counties the dubious distinction as disaster areas twice in one year.

“We’ve got disaster declaration on top of disaster declaration,” said Erma McNeff of Bonner County’s disaster services.

On Saturday, President Clinton approved 13 Idaho counties for federal disaster aid after severe winter storms followed by an unseasonable meltdown ravaged the state with collapsed buildings, mudslides, avalanches and floods.

Five of the counties are in the northern part of the state: Bonner, Boundary, Clearwater, Latah and Shoshone counties.

That means individuals, businesses and local officials can apply to get federal assistance to cover repairs to damaged roads, buildings and other costs associated with the recent destructive weather.

In some areas, counties hadn’t finished making repairs from last February’s disastrous flooding when the holiday storms struck.

The West Side Road in Boundary County was one that was washed out last winter. Construction had restored one lane and workers still were making repairs when heavy rains washed it out again last week, said Dave Kramer, one of the county’s disaster services coordinators.

The most common problem in Boundary County recently has been the heavy snowfall.

Insurance companies have handled more than 200 damage claims from roofs collapsing or other structural damage due to the snowfall, Kramer said.

School buildings, businesses, churches, a fire station and outbuildings were among the many heavily damaged buildings. Even the Union Pacific railroad line was shut down temporarily when storm run-off undermined the railroad bed.

“We’re glad to see there was a presidential disaster announced,” Kramer said. “It will open up resources we may not have had before.”

The disaster officially began on Dec. 27 and still is in effect, said Darren Blagburn, spokesman for the state Bureau of Disaster Services.

Any storm or flood damages in the affected counties since that date are candidates for federal assistance.

On Monday, counties still were uncertain as to what kind of help they would get. Federal Emergency Management Administration officials were meeting in Boise to establish procedures and decide how extensive FEMA’s presence would be.

“All the details haven’t been worked out,” McNeff said.

She was hoping to get some federal help to clear some roads in the more rural reaches of Bonner County. A few families are isolated in the Priest Lake and Careywood areas where some private and Forest Service roads were impassable.

“I’m ready for spring,” McNeff said. “It seems like we’ve been in a disaster since Feb. 8.”

Officials in Shoshone, Latah and Clearwater counties were dealing with flooding more than snow - although Mullan and Wallace needed assistance to move snow berms out of town.

But unlike last February, the flooding this time occurred in isolated incidents, mostly from short-lived overflowing streams and snow-melt pooling along roadsides and in parking lots.

The intense runoff also caused mudslides in Latah and Clearwater counties that temporarily blocked roads. Lower Fords Creek Road is closed in Clearwater County and only one lane is open on another road to a neighborhood in Orofino.

Avalanches also temporarily closed U.S. Highway 12 over Lolo Pass.

The road between Harvard and Deary in Latah County was closed for a day because of water over the road, and state Highway 99 had numerous small slides.

Anyone wishing to file a claim for federal assistance can call FEMA at (800) 462-9029.

In addition, Boundary County officials are asking residents to call the local cooperative extension service to report damages so they can make estimates and assist FEMA. The extension service number is 267-3235.

, DataTimes