Carter County Commission: first FEMA partial payment of $260,000; commission approves routine invoices

Carter County commissioners on Thursday heard an extended disaster-recovery update from emergency management staff confirming the county has received a first partial federal payment of $260,000 for storm-related work, and then approved a set of routine invoices and purchase orders for road and infrastructure repairs.

The emergency management update said the county has three new projects and 18 other open projects across FEMA damage categories. “This is the first dime that this county has received from either the state or the federal government in relief of the disaster: $260,000,” a commissioner said during the meeting. County staff later said they had verified the approval and partial payment with FEMA and the state emergency agency, TEMA.

Why it matters: the payment is the county’s first federal reimbursement for the event and will serve as a test case for FEMA and state procedures the staff said have produced repeated requests for documentation. County staff described a multi-step federal review process that has produced delays and many follow-up questions; they said the county has submitted documents months earlier and continues to work with FEMA and TEMA to secure additional obligated funds.

Details from the recovery update: - Category summaries: the county reported 1 project categorized as debris, 9 projects for emergency protective measures, and 26 projects under road repairs (Category C). Of the 26 Category C projects,…