Officials Begin Assessing Damage from Arkansas Flooding

March 26, 2008, LITTLE ROCK, Ark. -- On March 25, the Arkansas Department of Emergency Management (ADEM), the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA), and county and local officials will begin a review of damage resulting from the flooding that began on March 18. These Preliminary Damage Assessments (PDAs) are the first step in the request for a presidential declaration.

Individual Assistance PDAs will begin in the counties of Baxter, Benton, Carroll, Logan, Madison, Marion and Stone. Individual Assistance provides help to homeowners and renters. Public Assistance PDAs will begin in Baxter, Benton, Carroll, Crawford, Faulkner, Franklin, Fulton, Izard, Howard, Johnson, Logan, Madison, Marion, Newton, Polk, Pope, Searcy, Scott, Van Buren and Yell. Public Assistance provides reimbursements to eligible local and state government agencies, as well as some private non-profit organizations, for the cost of disaster-related debris removal, emergency protective measures and the repair or replacement of community infrastructure.

During the assessment, the team will collect estimates of the expenses and damages such as the following:

1. The types of damage;
2. Emergency costs incurred by the local and county governments;
3. The impact to critical facilities such as public utilities, hospitals, schools, and fire and police departments;
4. The affect on individuals and businesses, including the extent of the damage, the number of people displaced; and
5. The threat to health and safety caused by the storm event.
6. Additional data from the American Red Cross or other local voluntary agencies may also be reviewed.

The governor's office reviews the results of the PDAs. If the information gathered during the assessment phase certifies that flood damage is beyond state and local recovery capabilities, the finding is then used by Governor Mike Bebee to support a request for a presidential declaration.

The request for a presidential declaration is then submitted in writing by the governor to the president through FEMA's regional office. In this request, the governor certifies that the combined local, county and state resources are insufficient to address the emergency situation and that the situation is beyond the state's recovery capabilities.

The request is reviewed at FEMA's regional and national level. A number of factors are considered:

* The efforts of state and local governments to respond to the disaster, including use of labor forces and state or local assistance programs;
* Assistance available from other federal agencies, charitable organizations, volunteers and other private interest groups;
* The availability of private insurance and federal programs such as the Small Business Administration's Disaster Loan Program;
* The impact on public health and safety, including any unmet needs basic to the preservation of life and the protection of property;
* The impact on state and local financial resources;
* State and local involvement in recent disasters; and
* The efforts by state and local governments to implement hazard mitigation or other corrective measures to reduce disaster damages.

After the review of the governor's request by the regional and national offices of FEMA, an analysis of the situation and a recommended course of action is provided to the president.

FEMA coordinates the Federal government's role in preparing for, preventing, and mitigating the effects of, responding to, and recovering from, all domestic disasters, whether natural or man-made, including acts of terrorism.

Source: FEMA

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