Lincoln residents recovering from flooding are still waiting to learn whether federal assistance will be available. Lincoln-Lancaster County Emergency Management Director Jim Davidsaver told KLIN News on Monday that damage assessments are continuing, with his office currently focused on public property and critical infrastructure. “Our primary focus at this point is public property and critical infrastructure, primarily the roads, streets, and bridges,” Davidsaver said.
Davidsaver said he has not received specific information about the extent or number of individual homes damaged. Lincoln Transportation and Utilities has essentially returned to normal, he said, while Lancaster County Engineering continues inspecting roads and bridges. High water in some areas is preventing thorough inspections.
Local damage estimates are being forwarded to the state as officials evaluate potential federal assistance. Davidsaver said assistance for individual property owners remains undecided. “If a federal disaster declaration is granted, if individual assistance is approved, individual homeowners may be able to seek some assistance in that,” he said.
Nebraska Emergency Management Agency Assistant Director Erv Portis told KLIN News that officials have held preliminary discussions with the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the Small Business Administration about the information needed to support assistance requests. A clearer answer will take time as damage reports come in from multiple counties. “We’re probably at least a week away because we’ve got damages from in multiple counties across the state,” Portis said Monday.
Portis said officials are evaluating whether enough homes have sustained major damage or been destroyed to support a FEMA individual assistance declaration. Depending on the assessments, another possible avenue is a Small Business Administration declaration.
Davidsaver said the local damage threshold he is evaluating is more than $1.6 million in damage to public property and critical infrastructure. That assessment is separate from determining whether assistance will be available to homeowners.
In the meantime, Davidsaver urged residents to make necessary repairs, protect their property from further damage and keep receipts and other documentation. He said homeowners should contact their insurance companies to determine their coverage and repair options. “Again, you want to make the necessary repairs as soon as possible and keep that documentation,” Davidsaver said.
Portis also encouraged residents to photograph damage, maintain an inventory of affected belongings, coordinate with utility providers and obtain required permits for restoration work. Davidsaver said officials will share information about assistance as it becomes available.