Hopkins County is receiving over $5 million in federal funding for the cleanup and disposal of debris from the Dec. 10, 2021 storm, thanks to recent approval from FEMA.
“The FEMA process has been agonizingly slow, but I am glad that progress is being made to help all the areas affected by the tornado get back on their feet financially,”
Hopkins County Judge Executive Jack Whitfield said.
Debris removal in Hopkins County was allowed for $5,037,678 by FEMA from December 27, 2020, through January 25, 2022. During this time period, the county removed about 180,521 cubic yards of construction and demolition debris using county labour, materials, rental equipment, and contract labor.
Across Hopkins County, 53,411 cubic yards of vegetation was cleared from roadways and rights of way. It was found that this rubbish was dangerous to people’s health and safety. For the first 120 days after the flooding in Eastern Kentucky, FEMA has approved a 100% federal cost share for debris removal and emergency protective measures, including direct government aid.
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The funding for this project was a straight cost-share. This means that applicants can expect a full reimbursement from FEMA for their qualifying expenses. Directly to the Commonwealth, FEMA commits financing for these projects, the Commonwealth is then responsible for disbursing this money to qualified sub-recipients.
The Commonwealth will reimburse the sub-recipients for any expenses incurred after it has completed its evaluation procedure and received the necessary documents. Churches that meet specific criteria can get funding under the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s Public Assistance program.
Whitfield claims that the cleanup in Hopkins County is “very much done,” with the exception of the ATV Park in Barnsley, where work will begin in the coming weeks.
“I look forward to the State Emergency Management Agency moving quickly to reimburse the counties and cities whos budgets were devastated by the disaster,”
Whitfield said.