FEMA officials assess storm damage

NORFOLK, Va. - It was the presence people were waiting to see: emergency management crews getting their own feet dirty, walking the same murky paths where so many dreams were washed away last week.

"These are kinds of pictures that you see on TV and you hate to think that real families and real people are suffering," said Virginia Emergency Management Agency Spokesperson Laura Southard.

The cost of the nor'easter is in the hands of a cluster of FEMA and state emergency personnel. They surveyed the damage in Virginia Beach, Chesapeake and Portsmouth Wednesday. On Tuesday, FEMA and the Virginia Department of Emergency Management walked through Norfolk and Hampton.

"We're looking at how many people were displaced, how many homes were damaged, the entire home, part of the home, who has insurance, who doesn't have insurance," FEMA Agent Jamilah Fraser said.

For Willoughby residents like Samantha Hart at times the cost is unbearable. "I purchased everything down to the dishes to the forks to the knives and I purchased everything. I didn't ask nobody for nothing," says Hart, surrounded by her things now shoved into garbage bags.

Hart was home during the storm. At first the water seeped in, inches first then grew to feet. "My shoes just started floating everything that was on the floor just started floating through the whole house."

Her apartment is one of 677 buildings in Norfolk damaged from the November nor'easter. In the days after the storm, 85 city personnel accessed each and every building in the city. It is that report that now guides emergency management.

In East Ocean View, more of the same. Water marks feet off the ground stain siding. City officials say preliminary damage estimates are $26 million for private buildings and nearly $15 million for the beaches.

FEMA will send the numbers to Governor Tim Kaine, who would then have to ask President Obama to declare Virginia a disaster area that would open the door for federal financial assistance.

Officials say, however, it is important not to rely on FEMA because there's no guarantee Virginia's information will qualify for federal help.

City officials also warn residents making repairs to hire licensed contracts and check references.
WAVY.com has learned the city will offer free permits until the end of the month for electrical repairs. Code official Lynn Underwood says after Isabel several homes caught fire from water damaged electrical wiring.

"Get a electrician to look at it before you do it because there could be fires in the building because of the damage the water could have done to the electrical system," he says.

Emergency officials are heading back to Richmond to put the information into a report. It will be up to Governor Kaine to draft a letter to Washington to ask for federal assistance. Whether the region meets the threshold for aid could take weeks to answer.