County continues with derecho storm cleanup

     Now that FEMA approved the public assistance reimbursements for cities and counties stemming from the Aug. 10 derecho storm, Jones County Conservation and Secondary Roads will benefit following county cleanup efforts.

     Jones County Emergency Management Coordinator Brenda Leonard informed the board of supervisors at their Aug. 25 meeting that those county departments were the most to benefit.

     “Our damage assessment team has been out already,” she said.

     Leonard told the board that having a hazard mitigation plan, which the board approved in July, aids in a presidential disaster declaration such as this.

     County Engineer Derek Snead estimates $320,000 in damage throughout the county following the storm.

     To help with debris removal, the board approved project plans and a notice to bidders. This spans several townships: Oxford, Hale, Rome, Greenfield, Wyoming, Madison, Jackson, and Fairview.

     “We want to get as much debris taken care of as fast as possible,” Snead said. “We want to get the material out of the ditches prior to when the snow flies.”

     This particular project’s late start date is Sept. 21, with 50 working days.

     All of the right of way debris sites have been GPS’ed across the county. Disposal of material has to be done based on FEMA and DNR guidelines, Snead explained, in order to qualify for FEMA reimbursement.

     Aside from debris, there was also $190,000 in damages to signs across the county.

     Assistance Engineer Todd Postel said Secondary Roads is handling this project in-house.

     “We have a lot of work to do within the next three months,” Postel said.