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St. Joseph County declares emergency for March 30 storm damage to seek state public assistance
Summary
The Board approved a countywide emergency declaration to pursue state-administered public assistance (PA) after storms and high-wind events beginning March 30; EMA staff outlined the FEMA/state threshold and expected reimbursement process.
The St. Joseph County Board of Commissioners on April 15 approved a countywide emergency declaration to document storm damage from March 30 and allow the county and its municipalities to seek state-administered public assistance.
Al Kersitz and Jim Lopez of the St. Joseph County Emergency Management Agency briefed commissioners that the declaration mirrors a request from the Indiana Department of Homeland Security and would enable municipalities in the county to submit costs for public assistance to the state, which then packages claims for FEMA review. Kersitz said the intent is to seek reimbursement for municipal and county costs such as road crews, emergency response and fuel.
Kersitz described the state's public assistance threshold as "I believe, 13 13000000 dollars" and said the declaration will permit the county to compile and submit data to the state within the agency's 30-day window. He said municipalities including Mishawaka and South Bend were cooperating in the effort.
Kersitz and Lopez also described damage assessment work underway to distinguish FEMA categories: individual assistance (damage to private structures) versus public assistance (government response costs). Kersitz said some damage that the public may consider "major" can be categorized as "minor" by FEMA standards; the county was also pursuing Small Business Administration loans for individuals where applicable.
Commissioners voted to approve the declaration. Commissioners recorded affirmative votes, and the board chair noted the auditors' signature is required before the declaration is forwarded to the state and posted on the state's emergency operations tracking (WebEOC) list.
Kersitz said the division would conduct a state "hot wash" after the response and that improvements to reporting portals and siren activation for non-tornado high-wind events were under discussion with the National Weather Service.
