The full extent of damage to parks, streams, roads and other public infrastructure in Northern Virginia is still largely unquantified two months after flood waters washed over the region.
Crews in Arlington and Fairfax counties and the city of Alexandria are now working with FEMA and state emergency management officials to assess millions in damage to local facilities, a necessary step in garnering promised federal reimbursement.
Preliminary estimates put combined public damage from the three localities —which bore the vast majority of the state’s storm damage — at about $13.5 million, which is about $1 million less than the toll to private property.
At this point, however, FEMA has agreed to pay $850,806 for repairs statewide, said spokesman Dan Martinez. He said the final reimbursement is “definitely going to be in the … low millions.”
That amount will only cover a fraction of public damage, which could leave local governments with a hefty bill. Alexandria alone could see actual costs as high as $9 million, said Rich Baier, the city’s director of transportation and environmental services.
The efforts to grasp the storm’s true costs come amid intense local rancor aimed at FEMA, which decided not to open up grants and loans to individual residents for home repairs, while at the same time agreeing to fund infrastructure repairs.
The U.S. Small Business Administration recently announced it would provide low-interest loans of up to $200,000 for home repairs.
While homes and businesses took a severe beating, especially in Fairfax County’s Huntington community, public land and structures were also dealt significant damage. Local officials say park space and stream beds have required major cleanup efforts, along with damaged or destroyed bridges and roads.
Stephen Temmermand, Arlington County’s division chief for parks and natural resources, expects the federal government to take three to four weeks before announcing what it will pay for.
Martinez said the timeline will depend on when local governments are able to provide damage information.
