FEMA, state officials assess Gogebic County damage

By P.J. GLISSON

news@yourdailyglobe.com

Four members of the Federal Emergency Management Agency visited Gogebic County on Monday to assess damages in relation to recent flooding and spring storms.

They were joined by two members of the Michigan State Police’s division of Emergency Management and Homeland Security.

Rounding out the group were two staff members of the Gogebic County Road Commission — Manager Barry Bolich and Engineer Phil Strong — along with Heidi DeRosso, the county’s 911/emergency coordinator, and Kelsey Roble, a project manager with Coleman Engineering Company in Ironwood.

Also available to answer questions was GCRC Office Administrator Patti Hagstrom.

Before visiting 12 of the 20 sites of county damage, the group first met in GCRC office in the county courthouse annex in Bessemer.

During the session, Strong delivered much of the local perspective. “Phil is actually the person who prepared all of this,” said Bolich in relation to the county’s damage claims, which were expressed with the help of maps, spreadsheets, photos and other data.

Meanwhile, Pamela Broviak, a civil engineer for FEMA, was the federal point person.

“We’re just here to validate the damages,” said Broviak at the start of the meeting.

Gogebic County is one of six western U.P. counties that is expected to apply jointly for aid from FEMA, which requires a higher threshold in damage than any single county can claim.

Although other officials previously had estimated that threshold at more than $18 million, Broviak said that it actually is $17.8 million. At last count, the six counties combined had at least $30 million in damages.

However, many of those calculations were achieved by accounting for elevated costs required in relation to modern-day standards of the state Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy.

Whereas, Broviak explicitly clarified of county damage, “Right now, we are just focusing on what it would cost to get it back to where it was before.”

That means — for purposes of applying for FEMA aid — all costs must be recalculated at lower cost totals to meet those terms.

“EGLE complicates a lot of things,” said Penny Burger, section manager for MSP EMHS. But she emphasized that, despite Gogebic County having to submit its application to FEMA under terms that lower real damage costs, the county still will have to undertake the higher-cost EGLE standards because, otherwise, “EGLE won’t issue a permit.

Burger was accompanied by Lt. Tim Ketvirtis, district coordinator for MSP EMHS.

During Monday’s session, county officials relayed details in relation to multiple damage sites, often referring to a failed culvert as the culprit.

One example was Barber Road in South Bessemer, “There’s a big sinkhole in the middle of the road,” said Strong.

Later, as officials checked the site in person, he pointed out that a citizen first had earmarked the problem with a stick and a makeshift flag. County officials then surrounded the hole with pylons and chalk markings and reduced that section of the road to one lane.

“For now this is do-able,” said Strong, “but we can’t go into winter like this.”

Meanwhile, on Section 12 Road in Ironwood Township, Strong said that even though the culvert there is intact, EGLE still wants the county to replace it with a larger one.

That’s because the existing culvert did not prevent that road from washing away, somewhat. “The guard rail’s starting to fall into the stream,” said Strong of the location.

“In most cases, you’re going to use the EGLE (requirements) regarding a larger structure than what had been in there,” said Bolich.

Strong later told The Globe that, per EGLE requirements, new culverts must be larger now than what were required 25 to 40 years ago. In some cases, concrete culverts also are recommended over old-style metal ones.

Although the higher-end standards are costly, Strong said the end result is much more “resilient” in the face of future weather woes.

Beyond potholes, Bolich said, “We’ve got a lot of shoulders that are coned off.”

Strong said that Watersmeet Township’s Thayer Road, both south and north, has “the most drastic washouts.”

In addition, he said, “Black River Road had a pretty severe washout that we had to repair right away.”

As for bridge needs, Strong said that two Ironwood Township bridges need repair: one on Black River Road over Powdermill Creek and one on Hedberg Road over the Black River.

DeRosso, the county’s 911/emergency coordinator, supplemented Strong’s materials with her own thick binder, neatly loaded with additional county data and photos, divided by tabs.

Strong later said they were “very fortunate” to have her counsel during the process of assembling claims.

Roble, from Coleman, also provided support throughout the meeting by working digital magic by way of quickly accessing aerial maps, damage site photos and other data to share on a large screen.

“We love more documentation than not,” said Broviak, who commended the level of detail in the presentation.

Broviak and her colleagues traveled from FEMA’s Region V headquarters in Chicago.

Her team included Delaney Walsh, emergency management specialist in the recovery division; Aubri Urbanek, an environmental and historic preservation specialist; and Maxwell Novoselac, a public assistance specialist.

FEMA officials also were expected, this week, to visit other damage sites in the western U.P.

On Tuesday, Strong spoke with The Globe by phone to wrap up the visit and provide perspective on the future.

“I’m still updating damage costs,” he said in relation to FEMAs requirement that projected costs refer to restoring sites to the standard they were before the storm, rather than to the needs of current EGLE permits.

He added that he expected to submit updated costs to FEMA by the end of Wednesday.

He estimated that FEMA’s directive to recalculate costs in relation to restoring sites to pre-flood conditions — rather than to required EGLE standards — would mean having to downgrade his original damage total of $12 million in county damages to $9 million.

“It’s their process,” he said. “We’re just following their rules.”

He explained that the difference in $3 million will be addressed along the way.

Strong said that the county will seek funding, not only via FEMA, but also through the following two sources:

1. The Michigan Department of Transportation’s Emergency Response Program, which generally provides 80% of costs for approved projects on roads eligible for federal aid (for instance, U.S. highways and major connecting routes such as Lake and Powderhorn roads); and

2. The Bureau of Indian Affairs program for Emergency Relief for Federally-Owned Roads, known as ERFO. Strong said that covers roads within five miles of reservations that fall under the umbrella of both the reservation and the GCRC. If awarded, those allotments cover 100% of costs.

By contrast, he said that FEMA covers secondary roads. According to Strong, its allotments usually break down into 75% federal coverage and 25% local coverage. Generally, he said “local” coverage is further divided into half state/half county responsibility.

Although some government loans require local authorities to pay costs upfront and receive reimbursement later, Strong said those stipulations may vary.

Even when those contingencies come into play, he said that Michigan has a dedicated system that allows for bank loans — typically at zero interest — to cover such costs, followed by the ability to take five to 10 years to repay the funds.

Once Strong submits his final cost calculations, he said that FEMA officials will scrutinize the data in full while also reviewing information from other U.P. areas. Once that process is complete, then an application for federal aid can be submitted on behalf of the western U.P. at large.

Burger, of the MSP EMHS, had announced during the meeting that the state must request a presidential declaration of federal emergency by mid-June.

Regarding FEMA’s ultimate judgment, Strong conceded, “There’s a chance they may deny some submissions.”

As a result, he said of the visiting federal officials, who were positive but cautious, “They don’t want to overpromise on anything.”

He noted that, if FEMA funding is awarded, then further, additional inspections also will be scheduled, along with survey work and other details.

Even in the best-case scenarios, Strong said it could be 2024 before FEMA actually issues preliminary funding.

“We’ve already done most of the emergency repairs,” said Strong of county roads that were damaged in recent months and needed at least temporary repair. “All these roads are open and passable at this point.”

He added that a Planter Road washout still awaits but explained that it is a dead-end road.

Strong warned that it will take the GCRC longer than usual this year to address additional road issues.

“This was an abnormal spring for us,” he said, citing the more than 250 inches of snow, a lot of which melted quickly, and two spring snowstorms.

His advice for the general public is simple: “Have patience.”