Vernon Broadcaster - Printable Version

Story originally printed in the Vernon Broadcaster or online at www.vernonbroadcaster.com

Published - Tuesday, July 01, 2008

Flood damage may top $75 million in Vernon County

by Tim Hundt and Matt Johnson

Damage caused by floods that took place on June 7-8 in Vernon County could wind up topping $75 million, according to Vernon County Emergency Management Director Jerry Crotsenberg.

So far, Vernon County officials have tallied damage totalling $12.5 million from flooding. Crotsenberg said the most recent damage estimates from the state are up to $470 million over 30 counties.

County estimates include $5.5 million in damage to agriculture, $5 million to roads and $2 million to private property. Meanwhile, the estimate for private property damage recorded in Vernon County by the Federal Emergency Management Agency stood at $4 million on Monday with FEMA inspections still taking place.

Crotsenberg said it is difficult to tell how much of the overall damage has been reported, but he estimated the amount may be only about 20 percent of the total. That would put the total amount of damage approaching $75 million. Crotsenberg said the damage numbers are added as claims are tallied and there is no way to know for sure how many claims will be filed.

Ed Edahl, a public information officer for FEMA based in Madison, said there had been 283 claims for federal aid made by Vernon County residents to FEMA. Vernon County was among the first of now more than 30 Wisconsin counties that have been declared federal disaster areas.

The $470.5 million in state damage includes $203 million to residential property, $45 million to businesses, $146 million in agricultural losses and $75.3 million in public assistance.

Edahl said the Vernon County FEMA office, which also is a center for the Small Business Administration and Red Cross, will remain open as long as necessary at Living Faith Church in Viroqua.

"We had nine people come into the office and file claims on Monday," Edahl said. "We will stay open as long as necessary and people keep coming."

Reports of people posing as FEMA officials and trying to gain access to people's property had been reported in Vernon County, Edahl said.

"People need to be careful," Edahl said. "FEMA people have very credible identification and people should ask for it if they are approached by anyone saying they are from FEMA."

Edahl did not have details about how many incidents of possible false FEMA agents working in the county had been received.

Vernon County also has yet to tally the damage caused at the county’s dams. The dams suffered $10 million in damage during the flood of August 2007 and the countywide damage total associated with that flood is $60 million.