News

Residents discuss Thomas Creek problems

NASSAU COUNTY, FL - More than 30 residents attended a special meeting held Wednesday by Douglas Seaman, Nassau County Engineering Services Director, concerning the recent tropical storm and its aftermath. Seaman reported that 14 inches of rain fell on the Bryceville Fire Department in a 24 hour period and that Nassau County had 28" of rainfall for the month.

One result of this 100 year storm was extensive flooding along Thomas Creek in Callahan. Nassau County Roads and Bridges Superintendent Butch Hartman told me that his teams had already removed more than 500 tons of tree debris from Nassau County. He believed work should be completed within a couple of weeks.

Seaman called this meeting to gather information to determine his course of action over the next several months. Gathering information is a major part of correcting situations such as this because he cannot proceed to fixing the problem until he can determine exactly its scope and get funding.

Unfortunately, as he put it, "… common sense is not acceptable as a reason for getting a project funded when the government is involved." Some funding may be available in the form of grants from a variety of agencies including the St. Johns River Water Management District.

Residents attending the meeting described what had happened to them and also made suggestions concerning what should be done to alleviate the problem.

Desnagging (removing roots and other growth from stream beds) or actually dredging the waterways were two of the ideas discussed. Others included working on a nearby railroad trestle and also making sure that culverts, drains, etc, could actually handle the amount of water involved.

Most, if not all, of those attending the meeting blamed residential or commercial development allowed by Nassau County for the problems involving Thomas Creek and, to a lesser degree, Alligator Creek. They felt proper care had not been taken by the County or the developers to avoid drainage processes being altered.

Many residents mentioned that neighbors sometimes altered the flow of water on their properties by landscaping or actually damming existing ditches without understanding the outcome of their actions. Since the County may not arbitrarily go onto private land to create or clean out ditches, permissions or "easements" had to be officially a matter of record.

He asked for several volunteers to act as part of a phone bank to keep residents informed of meetings and related activities. Mr. Seaman also stated his belief that he would be able to provide more information in several weeks as his data collection continued though it might take several years and large amounts of money to actually complete the project.

Nate Custer, Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Public Information Officer, also spoke at the meeting. He suggested that various assistance programs might be available for residents of Nassau and other Counties through FEMA and possibly the Small Business Administration (SBA)

While Custer could not guarantee individuals aid, he did provide brochures and folders containing information covering how to find out what was available. Nassau County residents are among those who may be able to receive FEMA or other government assistance due to the recent storm. If you have not already done so and feel you might qualify, register with FEMA for help.

Due to the demand caused by multiple national disasters, off-peak hours and weekends are an ideal time to register. Call (800) 621-3362 or the TTY number (800) 462-7585 if you are hard of hearing, deaf or speech impaired.

Both numbers will be operated by FEMA from 7 am to midnight seven days a week until further notice. Multilingual specialists are available at the Helpline.

SBA disaster loans may be available to homeowners to repair or replace damaged or destroyed real estate. Homeowners and renters may be eligible for up to $40,000 to repair or replace damaged or destroyed personal property. The SBA may lend additional funds to help with the cost of making improvements that protect, prevent or minimize the same type of disaster damage from occurring in the future.

Should you or someone you know feel they have been discriminated against, call FEMA toll-free at (800) 621-3362. For TTY, call (800) 462-7585. SBA guidelines regarding disaster loans for the result of damages caused by Tropical Storm Fay occurring August 18, 2008, and continuing are October 27, 2008 for filing applications for Physical Damage to homes, personal property and/or businesses. The filing deadline for applications regarding Economic Injury is May 26, 2009.

For more information regarding possible SBA Disaster Assistance contact their Customer Service Center at (800) 659-2955 or email disastercustomerservice@sba.gov. Their website is www.sba.gov/services/disasterassistance.

Nassau is one of the "declared" counties where residents may be eligible for housing assistance when homes are inaccessible due to standing floodwater left behind by Tropical Storm Fay.