As Northwest Indiana moves forward from the summer storms, the Lake County Council approved hundreds of thousands be used by the drainage board for cleanup.
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On the same day, Gov. Mike Braun gave an update on Indiana’s storm recovery about two months after the Aug. 11 derecho, saying the state has dispersed more than $32 million for disaster relief.
“Everything’s kind of moving along according to schedule,” Braun said in a Tuesday storm recovery update. “Again, I want to applaud the efforts that everybody’s put in to make sure that it’s been seamless in terms of getting information, anything that you need in terms of whatever you’re dealing with.”
At their monthly meeting Tuesday, the Lake County Council approved $750,000 of the Little Calumet River Construction Fund to be used for clean-up costs for county regulated drains that were impacted by the June 11 and Aug. 11 storms.
The council approved the appropriations in a 6-0 vote. Councilman Charlie Brown, D-3rd, was absent from Tuesday’s meeting.
County Surveyor Bill Emerson approached the council about the funds at their Oct. 8 study session.
“(The $750,000) was our original estimate for the cost,” Emerson said. “I think we said that with some state officials and some contractors who work with the state, so we may not actually use that amount, but that’s what I have appropriated available in the account as needed.”
All cleanup is storm-related, Emerson told the council. Councilman Randy Niemeyer, R-7th, asked if some of the funds would be reimbursable because of the county’s disaster declaration.
“Yes, I believe it will be,” Emerson said. “We’re in the process of doing that now, and we’re working with (the U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency) to make sure that we get reimbursed.”
The state also has a new program rolling out that will do a “full 100% cost covered” drone assessment of waterways, and a contractor will write an estimate for state reimbursement, Emerson said.
During his storm recovery update, Braun said the state department of homeland security is advancing a “coordinated housing strategy” to help displaced Hoosiers move from the state hotel voucher program to appropriate shelter and long-term housing.
About 200 Indiana residents are still displaced, according to state numbers.
Braun was joined in his update by Indiana DHS Executive Director Jonathan Whitham and FEMA Federal Coordinating Officer Darryl Dragoo.
About 10 days remain for Indiana residents to apply for FEMA assistance. About 60,000 Hoosiers have submitted assistance applications, but Dragoo said that number continues to grow.
Dragoo said Indiana residents without insurance can register for FEMA support in-person, online at disasterassistance.gov, or by calling the agency’s hotline, 800-621-3362.
“To receive FEMA assistance, you actually have to register with us or apply with us,” Dragoo said. “We appreciate the partnership and the way you’ve led this entire response for recovery, governor. And there’s probably no estimate on who might still be out there, so that’s why it’s important that we get that word out.”
Whitham said state officials have “tried to get creative” with their response to the August statewide disasters. That’s led to cost savings and increased efficiency in storm recovery, he added.
DHS is working with Tidal Basin Group, a disaster services contractor, to help contact survivors in need of housing.
“Each survivor in this event is going to have a different set of circumstances that needs to be addressed,” Whitham said. “They’re going to have opportunities for different types of assistance at the state and federal levels, so we want to make sure that survivors know today that someone will be reaching out to you, if they haven’t already, … to start that conversation.”
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