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NOTICE:
The International Emergency Management Society's Transportation Saftey and Security Workshop Janurary 28-29th 2003
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Institute for Crisis, Disaster, and
Risk Management
Crisis and Emergency Management
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NOTICE: The ICDRM's monthly emergency managment forum, held at the GWU |
| December
2002
Volume 3 - Number 3 |
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Links:
Current events
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La Plata, Maryland: Status Report on Tornado
Recovery Efforts
Jerry Conley
On 28 April 2002, the small town of La Plata, Maryland (population 5,800) literally burst into national news after a devastating tornado cut a path of destruction through southern Maryland and tore into the small community. Impacting Calvert, Charles and Dorchester counties, the F4 tornado resulted in five deaths, damaged or destroyed over 1,000 homes and 158 businesses and led to 39,000 insurance claims totaling over $115 million. Seven months after this event, three primary recovery issues remain in the news: the slow recovery of La Plata’s downtown; the tornado’s impact on southern Maryland farming; and a debate over the cost of debris destruction. La Plata: With over $25 million in insurance claims, La Plata was the hardest hit community in Maryland. On August 15th, Gov. Parris Glendening announced that the Department of Business and Economic Development was releasing $400,000 of a promised $600,000 which would be dedicated primarily to improving the town’s sewer system and enhancing downtown streets and parking lots. In addition, La Plata Mayor William Eckman is taking the opportunity to leverage post-tornado reconstruction efforts to promote his “Vision Plan” for enhancing La Plata’s business district with the development of a town center, new sidewalks and better traffic flow in the shopping and restaurant district. Farms: Approximately forty farms in Calvert, Charles and Dorchester counties were directly impacted by the 28 April tornado. The loss of barns, grain silos and farming equipment hit many farmers who were already beginning to suffer under the progression of a regional drought that has destroyed 26-32 percent of the counties' corn and soybean crops and threatens another third. The recovery effort for the farmers has been complicated by the fact that most federal financial support is in the form of low interest loans (vice grants) and the limited grant money made available by USDA (~$180,000) was not authorized for barn, shed or equipment repairs. As the average age of Maryland farmers is 55 years, there is a general reluctance among them to take on any more debt (i.e. low interest loans). Debris: Calvert County officials remain miffed by the estimated $100,000 they will have to spend to grind 130,000 tons of storm debris that was transported by Maryland DOT and the USACE to a local landfill in Barstow. Other state and federal funding made available to tornado victims: The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) approved 71 of 205 low interest loan applications for a total of $4.5 million with approximately half of the loans going to homeowners. FEMA provided over $150,000 in rental assistance and minor home improvement grants to seventy-seven households and another $160,000 for Project Restore which will provide mental health counseling through the month of December. The U.S. Department of Labor authorized a $2.2M National Emergency Grant to provide temporary employment to the projected 500 Southern Maryland residents that were laid-off as a result of the tornado and to also assist in the clean-up efforts. References: http://www.fema.gov/diz02/d1409.shtm Michael Amon. “Disaster Relief Small Help to Farmers; Stricken by Tornado, Struggling with Debt; Some Can’t Afford New Loans.” Washington Post (02 June 2002): C05. Colleen Jenkins. “As FEMA Packs Up, Federal Aid Efforts Get Mixed Marks.” Washington Post (30 June 2002): T03. Colleen Jenkins. “Charles Outlines Further Aid For Victims; County Planning More Debris Removal, Funds.” Washington Post (04 July 2002): T03. Raymond McCaffrey and Theola Labbe. “$100,000 Tab to Grind Storm Waste Worries Calvert Officials.” Washington Post (08 August 2002): T02. “Storms Cause $700M in Damages.” National Underwriter, Property & Casualty/Risk & Benefits Management Edition (10 June 2002). |