Damage from Berea flooding about $892K

Local News

July 31, 2010

Emily Burton Register News Writer The Richmond Register Sat Jul 31, 2010, 08:00 AM EDT

RICHMOND — The water has long since seeped away, but the damage it left behind in Berea is now being tabulated.

The Madison County Emergency Management Agency, alongside Kentucky Emergency Management, completed their inspection of damaged structures Friday, according to Carl Richards, director of the Madison County EMA.

Richards said the EMA estimates damage to be approximately $892,000.

“We inspected 30 homes, some ranging from minor to major damage, one home had 60 inches of water in the living space,” he said.

The total amount of damage to all homes is about $300,000, Richards said.

Residents of a couple of homes were directed to the American Red Cross for aid, after much of their homes’ contents were destroyed, Richards said.

In addition, 12 businesses were inspected, damage to these businesses ranged from minor to severe, he said. Damage to the businesses is estimated at $106,000

Dormitories at Berea College — including Anna Smith and Talcott halls — also sustained damage when water invaded the buildings.

Damage to the college is estimated at $55,000, Richards said.

The Berea Community School had the most damage. The floor of the Singletary gymnasium, which had just been replaced, was destroyed. Also damaged were several pieces of technology at the school, and the choir and band rooms. Much of the damage at the school was confined to the basement.

“It was the single largest chunk of damage we assessed,” Richards said.

Richards estimated damage to the school at $91,000.

Several municipal buildings owned by the City of Berea also were damaged. The Public Works and Utilities building was damaged when the interior fittings to a 4-inch roof drain came lose and water began pouring into the building during the storm. Workers were able to secure the fittings, Richards said, but not before water flooded a garage, several offices and a workout room. Also, the tile in Fire Station 2 will have to be replaced, because floodwaters crept underneath it. If not replaced, the tile will likely begin to pull away from the floor, Richards said.

Also, the city lost $10,000 in infrastructure, mostly in the form of blown transformers, he said.

Infrastructure spared were area roadways. Unlike in the May floods, none of the roadways covered with water during this week’s flash floods were damaged. A few of the culverts may need repair, Richards said.

“There’s nothing right now that the road department said that they would consider significant,” he said.

Damage to all city structures is about $320,000, Richards said. They city must meet a minimum threshold of $279,000 to be eligible for public aid from the Federal Emergency Management Agency. This type of aid is available to municipalities and other government bodies only. A federal disaster declaration does not have to be signed in order for governments to apply.

However, Berea residents will have to wait to see if they qualify for individual assistance from FEMA. This type of aid is available to residents of an affected area. It requires either the declaration of an emergency or a federal disaster area. A disaster declaration does not provide for the long term, as a federal disaster declaration, but is focused on preventing a major disaster from occurring, and assisting with a short-term need.

There is no set monetary threshold which must be met for FEMA to recommend either type of declaration. A federal disaster declaration requires the signature of the president.

However, Richards said FEMA takes many things into account, the monetary loss to a community, but also, the impact of the loss of homes and property on a community.

Although both the Madison County and state emergency management agencies have finished their evaluations, a declaration is not immediate.

Richards said that FEMA must review the EMA’s evaluations and will make a recommendation as to what type of declaration will be made, or, if no declaration will be made.

FEMA and KyEM representatives will be in Berea on Monday for a preliminary assessment, Richards said in a press release.

Emily Burton may be reached at eburton@richmondregister.com or at 624-6694. For breaking news follow Emily on Twitter at, RR_EBurton@twitter.com

Text Only

Local News

Measuring education
Brent Ray, a local contractor, helps Kit Carson Elementary third-graders Nathan Buck and Anijah Rembert measure an outside wall Thursday morning during a class project to determine the perimeter of the school. The third-grade class broke into groups to measure sections of the outside walls which they used to find the perimeter.

February 10, 2012 3 Photos
Kiwanis auction Saturday at City Hall
The annual Richmond Kiwanis Club auction will take place Saturday from 9 a.m. until about 5 p.m. with proceedings carried live on TimeWarner Cable Channel 12 and WEKY 1340 AM Radio.
“We have lots of great stuff, as we always do,” said Amanda Stepp, the auction coordinator.
“We have gift cards for almost every restaurant in Richmond as well as two pickup trucks that will be sold,” she said.

February 10, 2012
Man pleads guilty to voyeurism charge
A man accused of taking pictures of a woman showering at a Berea truck stop was sentenced to probation Wednesday in Madison District Court.
Paul S. Byrd, 41, of McKee, was arrested Oct. 29 by the Kentucky State Police after a woman reported the incident at the 76 Truck Center off Interstate 75.

February 10, 2012
Berea one of state’s first five cultural districts
The Kentucky Arts Council on Thursday named Berea one of the state’s first five certified cultural districts.
Although the legislature designated Berea the state’s Arts and Crafts Capital in the 1990s, this newest designation will draw even more attention and tourism to the city, said Belle Jackson, Berea’s tourism director.

February 10, 2012
LRC plans to appeal judge’s HB1 ruling
The leadership of the General Assembly announced Thursday it plans to appeal Franklin Circuit Judge Phillip Shepherd’s ruling that the legislature’s plan to re-draw state legislative boundaries is unconstitutional.

February 10, 2012
Facebook post leads to arrest
A post on the Richmond Police Department’s Facebook page led to the arrest of a man suspected of stealing two Blu-Ray players from Walmart.
Walmart employees reported to police Jan. 25 that a man had concealed the electronics under his coat and attempted to leave the store without paying, said Richmond Police Chief Larry Brock in a news release.

February 10, 2012
Four indicted in Berea murder case
The death of a Berea man and the attempted murder of another came at the hands of four people, according to indictments handed down Wednesday by a Madison grand jury.

February 10, 2012 2 Photos
Friday at library : Lecturer to portray founder of Berea
John G. Fee, abolitionist and founder of both Berea and Berea College, will be portrayed Friday night by performer Obadiah Ewing-Roush as part of Kentucky Humanities Council Chautauqua performance series at the Madison County Public Library. There is no charge to attend the 7 p.m. event.
As the son of a slave-holding father, Fee witnessed firsthand the benefits of having slaves and the profits that could be made from their labor. When he graduated from college and enrolled in Lane Theological Seminary, he began to understand the inherent wrong and destructiveness of slavery.

February 8, 2012 1 Photo
Berea woman dies Tuesday in Laurel County crash
A Berea woman, Tommie Johnson, 60, died Tuesday evening in a Laurel County crash, according to the the Laurel Sheriff’s Office.
The accident took place about 7 p.m. at the junction of Maple Grove Road and KY 363 south of London, as Johnson was attempting to turn onto the state highway.
Laurel County Chief Deputy Eddy Sizemore said Johnson’s Chevrolet Cavalier pulled out in front of a Dodge Durango driven by Charles Joseph, 19, that was traveling south on KY 363.
After being extricated from her vehicle, Johnson was transported to St. Joseph-London hospital, where she was pronounced dead.
Joseph also was transported to the hospital, where he was treated for minor injuries, according to the accident report.

February 8, 2012
Finally February
Ian Rosser, an Eastern Kentucky University student from Lexington, clears snow from his car parked on campus Wednesday
morning after about an inch of snow fell in Richmond. Temperatures are forcast to be in the upper 40s today. Kentucky has seen a lot of rain in the past few months, as was predicted by the Farmer's Almanac, but very little snow has fallen.

February 8, 2012 1 Photo
More Local News Headlines

Local News

Search Results

Damage from Berea flooding about $892K

Have you ever attended a meeting of a local government agency or taxing district?

Site Map