Story Published:
Aug 24, 2010 at 2:47 PM CST
Story Updated:
Aug 24, 2010 at 3:03 PM CST
Officials with the Cookeville-Putnam County Emergency Management Agency continue working with officials from TEMA to survey and document damages from last week's flood, which affected several areas of the Upper Cumberland. This week, teams from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) will join in the effort to document damages and help declare the level of assistance that area residents could receive.
Tyler Smith, CPCEMA Director stated "We will be surveying the damaged areas with FEMA representatives this week, and hope to have an answer soon on what types of assistance we will be able to get our citizens." The process will take several days just to document all the damages, and is anticipated to take as much as two to three weeks before decisions will begin being made by federal officials once all the data is retrieved. "We are doing all we can to provide the most accurate information possible to everyone involved. It's going to be a long process, but we are hoping for the best" said Smith.
Citizens who have already reported damage to emergency management offices can be assured the damages are being documented and that information is being passed along to state and federal authorities during the process. Once the assessment process is complete, EMA officials state that every individual citizen who called with damage will be updated on the next steps to take. Deputy EMA director Sharon Womack commented "We will be calling everyone who has called us to report damages and letting them know what they need to do next. The biggest thing to do for now is to document damages by taking photographs or video, itemize any repairs or purchases, and keep your receipts."
EMA officials have been working long hours since flash flooding began last Wednesday morning. Anyone who has not reported damage to the Emergency Management Agency is encouraged to call the hotline that has been dedicated for flood damage reports at (931) 646-INFO.
