Officials Estimate Nearly $3M In Flood Damage In Northport

NORTHPORT, AL — Close to 200 people attended an informational public meeting at Northport City Hall on Tuesday to hear an update on the June 19 flooding event from Tuscaloosa County EMA officials and to learn more about the process moving forward.

Hard numbers were provided and tempers flared at times as many residents work to pick up the pieces of their lives. At the same time, Northport and Tuscaloosa County officials are working to connect those impacted with the short-term resources they need.

The meeting also came after the City Council voted unanimously to approve an additional $500,000 in funds for immediate infrastructure repair needs, which will come from revenue generated by the city's recently implemented 1 cent sales tax. This brings the total allocation to $1.25 million, which will be reimbursable and not impact the city's general fund.

By The Numbers

• 71% of damage in the June 19 flooding event is classified as residential, while 26% was infrastructure.
• 96 homes were impacted in some way by the flooding, with five houses destroyed and 38 sustaining major damage.
• Officials estimate $2.94 million in damage for Northport on June 19, along with $409,418 in damage in the City of Tuscaloosa.
• 17 people were evacuated during the flooding, with 21 seeking shelter at Northport Baptist and another 11 classified as "displaced"
• 233 volunteer hours have gone into the cleanup effort thus far.

*Data provided by Tuscaloosa County EMA damage assessment.

Alabama Emergency Management Agency Division C Coordinator Don Hartley, along with Tuscaloosa County EMA Deputy Director Tamara Croom, underscored that while the $700,000 local damage threshold has been met for the state to come in and conduct a damage assessment, Alabama is still waiting to hit the $7.5 million benchmark required for a federal disaster declaration.

Click here to subscribe to our free Tuscaloosa Daily newsletter and breaking news alerts

"We are on basically step two, where we’ve given our assessments to the state," Croom explained. "We have not received a declaration from the governor and once she does that, that is the next step to get to President Biden. Once President Biden approves, that’s when FEMA comes in. It is a process and we cannot stress enough that money is not going to fall down because we need it right away."

These answers were met with skepticism from several residents, many of whom lost everything, while others did not have flood insurance. Criticism for the response, however, eventually gave way to discussions on infrastructure.

One resident said the city's negligence with respect to maintaining its infrastructure will now have a substantial impact due to her family not having flood insurance to cover the losses.

"Storm drains were not doing their jobs in that storm," she said. "That contributed to the damage that we are all now suffering from … we need to make sure this never happens again."

While city officials have acknowledged the need to better address the city's stormwater infrastructure, council members made sure the discussion stayed on point with respect to residents being made aware of the resources currently available.

"The city understands the concerns presented," Council President Jeff Hogg told Patch following the meeting. "Each situation is different and all will be evaluated as we move forward by the appropriate agencies. I want to thank the local and state EMA for being present today to relay the much needed information to our residents on the steps that have to be taken for the disaster declaration process. Our goal is to provide citizens with the resources we have within Tuscaloosa County that can assist in times of need."

Both of the emergency officials present stressed that residents must be proactive in going through the process of reporting damage to their homes in order for the response to be as timely as possible.

Croom did, however, express confidence that the governor would move quickly once the threshold is met. Hartley also asked residents to be patient and diligent.

"Everybody is doing as much as we can, legally, to help," he said. "Unfortunately, government sometimes is saddled by the laws that are written and we should follow that."

Residents were asked to take photos of property damage and call (205) 349-0150 or call 211 to speak with a representative on the United Way's social service referral line.

Have a news tip or suggestion on how I can improve Tuscaloosa Patch? Maybe you're interested in having your business become one of the latest sponsors for Tuscaloosa Patch? Email all inquiries to me at ryan.phillips@patch.com