Hurricane Matthew Update 10-17-16 @ 5pm

All,

As a reminder, damage assessment teams consisting of representatives from the city, the Virginia Department of Emergency Management, FEMA and the Small Business Administration worked over the weekend visiting numerous sites throughout the community.  Sites included underpass pumps, Norfolk Public Schools, NSU and ODU, a dam for which Norfolk is responsible in Suffolk, and many homes and businesses.

One update as it pertains to the underpass pumps: Since both are also state roadways (Va Beach Blvd is a state route 58 and Brambleton is part of state route 460) they are referred to as “Federal-Aid Roads” (see pg. 54 of link) and thus assistance must come from the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), not FEMA.  As such, the $2M in damages cannot be included in our assessment for Public Assistance (with threshold of $876,000) to FEMA.  However… temporary work is covered, so there should be reimbursement for the use of the temporary pumps.

The numbers for which there is most interest deal with homes and businesses in order to be eligible for Individual Assistance.  These were collected over the weekend with over 160 miles of travel and are as follows: 5 homes destroyed, 20 Major Damage, 14 Minor Damage and 38 Affected (was 1, 25, 59 and 323 respectively).  Of these properties, and the original list mentioned reflecting over 400 structures, only 17 had flood insurance.  Many of the properties labeled “Major Damage” during the  windshield assessments immediately after the storm, when trees may have been leaning on them, had since been downgraded because trees and debris have been removed allowing a more detailed assessment to be performed.  While this is good news for those properties, it does not bode well for the likelihood of Individual Assistance through a Presidential declaration.

Total cubic yards of debris hauled Saturday was 1,105, which combined with Friday afternoon was 1,619.  Another 29 loads equaling 1,271 cubic yards were hauled Sunday, totaling 2,890cy for the weekend.  To provide some context, 1 Million cubic yards was removed after Tropical Storm Isabel in 2003.

In an effort to maintain realistic expectations, the assumption should be a federal declaration will not be declared based on numbers.  While damage to anyone’s’ property is certainly a disaster at the individual level, it may not be as defined by the Robert T. Stafford Act which dictates the terms and criteria.  Nonetheless, Team Norfolk responds and recovers together regardless.  Fortunately, at this time there are no reported unmet needs; however, if you are aware of anything to the contrary, please let us know so we can connect them with some Team Norfolk help!

Thanks!

Jim
Director, Norfolk EOC
james.redick@norfolk.gov