FEMA has announced that federal disaster assistance is now available to Nebraska, supporting recovery efforts following the severe storms that caused extensive damage in Lancaster County on July 31, 2024.
Other counties in the disaster declaration include Cass, Douglas, Sarpy and Saunders counties. Federal funding is also available on a cost-sharing basis for hazard mitigation measures statewide.
“We had more than $2.3 million in damage reported to public property and critical infrastructure,” said Lancaster County Emergency Management Director Jim Davidsaver. “Even though that event occurred months ago, it took until yesterday to have everything processed at both the state and the federal level, which makes us eligible for that federal reimbursement of the damage suffered.”
The threshold for eligibility is just over $1.4 million in damage.
Davidsaver says damage was primarily done to critical infrastructure and trees throughout Lincoln and Lancaster County. Lincoln Transportation and Utilities, which includes Parks and Recreation, and Lincoln Electric Systems were the entities which suffered the most damage. These organizations will have meetings with FEMA to review the damage, and submit gathered documentation to be processed. The maximum reimbursement is up to 75% of the damage.
Designations may be made at a later date if requested by the state and warranted by the results of further damage assessments.