District says FEMA approval still pending; staff plans household survey and public outreach

District staff updated the board that reconstruction or grant-funded projects cannot proceed until the district receives final notification from FEMA. A member of the administrative team said, "We cannot put a shovel in the ground in that area until we get the final notification from FEMA," and added that the matter is presently at federal FEMA with a senator's office checking in roughly every two weeks.

Staff described a larger-than-usual FEMA backlog and noted this is the first year the district is working with the Building Resilience in Infrastructure (BIMA) grant; staff compared the district's experience to other local governments that faced processing bumps as federal agencies ramp up the program. A speaker referenced an $8,000,000 figure in the discussion; the transcript records that amount but does not provide further budget documentation in the meeting record.

Separately, staff said a finalized household survey has been prepared and is being printed for mailing; they are coordinating with the local post office to ensure delivery and plan to push the survey through press and social media once mail dates are confirmed (staff expected those dates by Friday).

Why it matters: FEMA notification is a gating condition for disaster recovery and capital work; delays or backlogs at the federal level affect district timelines for repairs and capital projects.

Next steps: District staff will continue to follow up with the senator's office and regional FEMA contacts and will announce survey mailing dates when available.