State emergency manager says reimbursements coming and offers options for siren coverage; regional rescue team awarded $8,243.99

Jason York, Regional Response Manager for Kentucky Emergency Management (Area 7), addressed Montgomery County Fiscal Court on June 17, apologizing for delays in visiting because of successive disaster responses and providing three main updates: reimbursement processing for county response to February flooding, an awarded grant to the Gateway Search and Rescue Team, and options to improve local warning systems.

York said Kentucky Emergency Management is working to reimburse the county for time and resources expended during the regional flood response and that reimbursement paperwork and documentation have been submitted, though the process has been delayed by ongoing disaster demands across the state. “We are in the process of reimbursing the county over time and efforts during that,” York said.

York also announced the Gateway Search and Rescue Team was awarded $8,243.99 to strengthen its rescue capabilities and said the funding will support regional response capacity. On warning systems, York said grant availability for new sirens has varied and that the county should be prepared to act if funding becomes available; he described ongoing negotiations to obtain surplus sirens from other communities at low or no purchase cost, with county expense limited to installation if an agreement is completed. York noted that 911 dispatch can centrally activate sirens for tornado warnings and cautioned using sirens only for the most serious warnings to avoid desensitizing residents.

The court thanked York and county commissioners and staff signaled willingness to coordinate with KEM on both grant and equipment options.