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Residents to restore river
Page 2
Library hosts Silver Tea
Rage 3
Lady Pirates still top FRC
Rage?
October 8, 2003
Vbl. 71, No. 41 Hertford, North Carolina 27944
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P14 ''C5
PERiaUIMANS COUNTY LIBRARY
110 W ACADEMf ST
HERTFORD, NC 27944-1306
OCT 0 8 zboa
sn tw/2003
Perquimans
Weekly
Schools
set 7
make-up
days
SUSAN R. HARRIS
Students will now attend
school on Oct. 10, Oct. 13,
Nov. 15., Nov. 26, Dec. 19,
Dec. 22 and Feb. 6.
The Board of Education
approved a revised calen
dar Friday afternoon dur
ing their annual retreat to
provide the seven make-up
days lost during Hurricane
Isabel.
It also provides the
required optional, required
and annual leave days for
staff as proscribed by law.
Oct. 10 , Oct. 13, Nov. 26,
Dec. 19 and Feb. 6 were for
merly teacher work days,
while Dec. 22 was an annual
leave day. Nov. 15 is a
Saturday
The March 12 optional
work day is now a required
work day. Jan. 2 was an
optional work day and is
now an annual leave day.
June 3, 4 and 7 were “out of
school” days and are now
optional work days.
The schools closed
because of lack of water
and electricity, and also
because it took several days
to clear aU roads to make it
possible for buses to pass
through to transport stu
dents.
In addition, the schools
had repairs and clean-up to
do before students could
return.
Assistant
Superintendent Dwayne
Stallings reviewed damages
in the schools with mem
bers of the N.C. Public
Health Department
Patricia Gilmartin, Mike
Reid and Val Murphy on
Sept. 25. The group was
shown aU areas in schools
where water entered the
buUding. They gave sugges
tions on items to handle
and followed up with a
report to Superintendent
Ken WeUs.
Stallings said that the
school system immediately
corrected the problems
cited before allowing stu
dents to return to those
areas.
At Central School, rec
ommendations included
replacing water-damaged
tiles and cleaning vents
throughout the school.
Three rooms at Hertford
Grammar School were
damaged. Clean-up in those
rooms included cleaning
furniture, replacing water-
damaged ceiling tiles,
shampooing carpets and
cleaning water from light
fixtures.
The middle school sus
tained the most significant
damage. Work had to be
done in six classrooms and
two hallways. Ceiling tile
replacement, steam clean
ing carpets, taking down
boards on walls and clean
ing them, and circulating
air in the rooms were
among the suggestions
there.
At the high school, base
boards moldings were
pulled up, insulation was
dried out, ceiling tiles were
replaced, and carpets were
cleaned.
o
,unK_
Firefighters from all county departments were invited to Monday night's county commissioners meeting to be
thanked by the county for their hard work during preparation and recovery efforts associated with Hurricane
Isabel. Firefighters were a tremendous asset to the communities they serve, comprising the front line in tree
renioval from roads and their stations served as distribution centers for water and ice. Some stations also
served as feeding sites.
Firefighters thanked
Volunteer
firefighters
imperative to
storm
recovery
SUSAN R. HARRIS
Firefighters earned
accolades from county com
missioners Monday night
for the vital role they
played in recovery efforts
immediately after Isabel.
“Ya’U stepped up to the
plate and just, really, really
responded in a stellar way,”
Commissioners Chairman
Wallace Nelson told the
firefighters who attended
Monday night’s meeting.
Nelson said the volun
teers modeled Christ-like
behavior in the community,
and are always there to
help in so many ways.
Firefighters began clear
ing roads immediately
after the storm passed, and
distributed ice and water to
all communities through
their fire stations.
Commissioners Shirley
Wiggins and Tammy
Miller-White both thanked
the firefighters for going
out of their way to help
senior citizens and for their
graciousness during such a
difficult time.
Miller-White said she
was touched and impressed
with the teamwork and
leadership shown by fire
fighters.
Commissioner Ben
Hobbs said he lives within
site of the Bethel Fire
Department, and he saw
activity there for several
days.
Bethel Fire Chief Jeff
Proctor responded that one
firefighter took off over a
week of leave from his job
to assist with recovery.
Emergency Management
Coordinator Harry
Winslow said he knew aU
during the preparation and
recovery period that fire
fighters would be vital to
county recovery efforts.
“I knew when I called
you that it would be done,”
Winslow said.
Winslow had said five
days after the storm that
the firefighters had done
more than could ever be
repaid.
County Manager Paul
Gregory was also
impressed with and appre
ciative of what fighters
accomplished.
“I knew what you could
do. I’ve seen it before. We
had no idea of the magni-
ture of this storm. Without
you we’d have been dead in
the water.
“You just can’t put a fig
ure on it. Without you we
couldn’t have made it.”
Gregory said he hopes
the county wUl continue to
assist fire department,
which are aU volunteer in
FEMA Disaster Recovery
Center takes 1400 apps
SUSAN R. HARRIS
The FEMA Disaster
Recovery Center in
Hertford is open for busi
ness at the Albemarle
Commission Building.
Don North, FEMA
Public Information Officer
assigned to Raleigh, said so
far, 1404 applications have
been received in
Perquimans County.
Over $879,000 has been
paid to residents to date,
with almost $500,000 of that
for housing.
The center opened on
Sept. 29 and will remain
open as long as people con
tinue to fUe claims.
“They remain open as
long as they’re busy,” North
said.
Fifty-eight people visited
the center on Monday, Oct.
6, bringing the total num
ber of visitors to the center
to 277.
Assistant County
Manager Bobby Darden
said Monday night that
Perquimans ranks No. 4 in
North Carolina in applica
tions for assistance submit
ted.
DRC hours are 8 a.m.-7
p.m.
FEMA spokesperson
Charlie Henderson, who is
presently doing field work
in Perquimans County, said
anyone who wants to see if
they qualify for assistance
from FEMA should call 1-
800-621-3362 to register and
get a nine-digit claim num
ber. No one can get assis
tance without a claim num
ber, which must be
obtained by telephone.
Those who visit the DRC
for assistance before get
ting a claim number must
use a phone at the center to
get a claim number.
Anyone who may need
help should caU within 60
days after the county was
declared a federal disaster
area, which means by Nov.
17. Failure to get a registra
tion number by Nov. 17 wHl
mean that residents can not
get any financial assis
tance.
The FEMA spokesperson
said you should stay on the
line when trying to get a
number, even if it takes a
few minutes or if there is a
message that suggests you
might want to caU back.
“Stay on that line,”
the county, with funds for
buildings and equipment.
Commissioner Mack
Nixon also said he appreci
ated what firefighters did
during the storm, and reit
erated his commitment to
providing funds for fire
department needs.
Nixon said he has
worked during his tenure
on the board to increase
appropriations to fire
department, and wiU con
tinue to do so.
Winslow was also recog
nized for his work during
the preparation and after-
math of Isabel.
“Harry, you need to be
recognized, too,” Nelson
said. “You’re in a position
to be the one to puU it aU
together. You did a great
job.”
Nelson also asked fire
fighters to give the county
feedback on storm
response so that the county
plan can be analyzed and
updated.
r
Damage
updates
Henderson said.
After getting the claim
number, applicants may
visit the DRC at the
Albemarle Commission
BuUding.
Henderson said it is
almost impossible to tell
people what items may and
may not be funded by
FEMA without doing an
interview and individual
analysis.
“It’s always case by
case,” Henderson said.
FEMA monies are for
life’s essentials, Henderson
said, such as safe and
secure housing.
Generally, Henderson
said FEMA wUl not pay for
insured damages, but may
help with any deductibels
They wiU not pay for dam
age to vacation homes,
although they may help
with the personal property
inside second homes.
FEMA may provide
funds for temporary hous
ing or such items as med
ical and dental needs.
The agency may also
help cover the costs of such
items as generators and
chain saws.
Continued on page 10
Isabel damage esti
mates continue . to
come in for ''
Perquimans County ' ^
Assistant County -
; Manager , Bqbby
Darden said
Perquimans County
residents incurred $35-
40 miUion in damage
to dweUings alone.
The initial estimate j
for damages to homes, ^
public buildings and
infrastructure was = '
$153 mlUion. -tS
' County Extension *
Agent Lewis Smith has
estimated well over '$l
million in damages to
farm structures, and
almost $5 million in
crop damage. Cotton ™
took the hardest hit,
with damages to' that s
crop estimated at ,
■ t $3 million.
' Forestry ■>
Officer Clarence
Watson had no dollar , -
figure for timber dam- \
age, but told Darden* 1
f - that he estimates 15-25
percent damage to |
, standing timber. ^
10 public
housiiig
units
flooded
SUSAN R. HARRIS
Ten units at Hertford
Housing Authority are
expected to be condemned
as a result of flooding duri
ing Hurricane Isabel. i
Housing Authority
Director Rhonda Waters
said that up to 4 feet of
water entered units on
Stokes Drive.
While some of the famh
lies in the two-story units
wanted to stay and live on
the second floor. Waters
said she had state environ
mental officials come and
check the apartments. The
state officials said they
were unsafe.'
There was also $150,006
in damages to other units
owned by the Housing
Authority, including roof
and tree damage.
As of late last week, the
Housing Authority had
found temporary housing
for aU but three families,
and those families were
staying. with relative.
Waters said. One family has
nine members.
, There was only one
unoccupied unit in
Hertford, and one family
got placement there.
Ellizabeth City also allowed
several displaced Hertford
families to move into public
housing units there.
Waters said the families
who lost their homes wUl
have first priority of avail
able units when vacancies
come available in Hertford.
The Housing Authority
is making application to
HUD for disaster funds to
buUd more housing units.
“It is my hope that I wUl
be able to reconstruct those
units at another site,”
Waters said.
Rather than a complex of
duplex or townhouse
dwellings. Waters said she
is hoping to get approval for
a scattered site project to
include individual houses
and duplexes, something
that is not distinguishable
as public housing.
“I do feel very hopeful
about it,” Waters said.
The Stokes Drive units
were built in the 1960s in a
location Waters said was
“not idea.” There are struc
tural problems with some
units. Waters said.
Weekend
Weather
THURSDAY
High: 72
Low: 63
Rain/Thunder
Friday
High:78
Low: 61
Scattered Tstorms
Saturday
High: 77
Low: 61
SCAHERED T'STORMS