Tornado damage assessment at $3 million

Tornado damage assessment at $3 million

PHOTO: While DeKalb County didn’t reach the damage threshold for personal assistance, those affected do qualify for low-interest SBA loans. (File Photo)

By Tyler Pruett, Managing Editor

tyler@southerntorch.com

FORT PAYNE, Ala. At Tuesday’s meeting of the DeKalb County Commission, county Emergency Management Agency director Anthony Clifton briefed the commissioners on damages caused by the November 30 tornado on Sand Mountain.

According to Clifton, the final estimate was that it was an EF3 Storm. At the beginning of the storm, it was rated an EF2 storm when it went through the Rosalie community in Jackson County. Since, they have joined the two tracks together, and are now considering it a long-track, F3 storm, that began in Jackson County, went through DeKalb County, and then proceeded across the Georgia Line.

DeKalb County EMA Director Anthony Clifton gives a briefing on the damage suffered to DeKalb County during the recent Tornado. (Tyler Pruett | Southern Torch)
DeKalb County EMA Director Anthony Clifton gives a briefing on the damage suffered to DeKalb County during the recent Tornado. (Tyler Pruett | Southern Torch)

DeKalb County suffered a total of $3,073,000 (assessed value) in damage. This totaled 16 destroyed residences, with two major damaged residences, and two minor damaged structures, with a total residential impact of $1,037,300. DeKalb County also lost 20 barns and outbuildings, one church, four hog houses, and 13 poultry houses in terms of business losses, totaling $2,035,800.

“Unfortunately even though with all that damage, we did not meet the requirement for a presidential disaster declaration. We did not meet the local threshold,” said Clifton.

The threshold is $253,000 of uninsured damage. Even though the damage was over $3 million dollars, that amount must be uninsured, and even though there was a lot of people with underinsured damage, we did not meet the threshold.

“So obviously, we also did not meet the state threshold $7.6 million to qualify for individual and business assistance,” explained Clifton.

Although not eligible for assistance, DeKalb County residences affected by the storm qualify for low interest loans from the government to help with damages and get back on their feet.

“We do qualify for small business administration (SBA) assistance loans. Jackson (county) was the only county to qualify for an SBA declaration, but when one county qualifies, all of the counties that touch that county also qualify for the loans,” he said.

Also according to Clifton, “This was the biggest tornado we’ve had since 2014.”

For those affected by the storm in need of assistance, more information can be found http://www.sba.gov or https://www.disasterassistance.gov on these loans.