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Scott County reports millions in agricultural and timber damage; FEMA assistance open, deadlines approaching
Summary
The county’s agricultural extension and emergency management officials reported roughly $4.75 million in assessed agricultural and timber damage so far and urged residents to apply for FEMA and SBA assistance; officials emphasized a Dec. 2 application deadline for some FEMA programs.
Scott County staff told the Board of Supervisors that storm damage to farms and timber has produced millions of dollars in assessed losses and that federal assistance programs are available to affected households and businesses.
Scott Jerrell, the county agricultural extension agent, said field assessments to date total $2,669,000 in agricultural damages and roughly $2,079,000 in timber losses, yielding about $4,750,000 of direct, assessed damage. "If we put realistic values to it, that number could be between the 6 and $7,000,000 range for Scott County," Jerrell said, noting that amount does not include lost future income from timber or animals.
County staff reported Scott County has been approved for FEMA public assistance and that, as of Nov. 4, 262 residents had applied for individual assistance. FEMA and partners have conducted door‑to‑door outreach and set up a disaster recovery center at the Pioneer Center in Duffield (open Monday–Saturday, 8 a.m.–6 p.m.). Officials repeatedly urged residents to apply and noted time limits: "The deadline to apply currently is December 2" for some FEMA programs, and SBA application deadlines for physical damage and economic injury were cited in public comments.
Staff also said the county is assembling public assistance requests and logging expenses for reimbursement. The presentation included two immediate citizen supports: a reduced‑cost household water testing program run through Virginia Tech and outreach about agricultural recovery resource days in nearby counties.
The board encouraged affected residents to visit disasterassistance.gov, use the FEMA app, call the FEMA registration line, or visit the local disaster recovery center. County staff said they will follow up with more information about upcoming resource fairs and assistance events.
What’s next: Residents who experienced damage should apply for FEMA individual assistance before the stated deadlines and consult the county website and recovery center for help. County staff will continue compiling public assistance requests and coordinate with FEMA and SBA on recovery resources.
