County advised to request another extension on disaster project

scottw@standard-democrat.com

CHARLESTON -- Sometimes a final deadline really isn't so final after all.

Mississippi County Commissioners agreed during their regular weekly meeting Thursday to request another 90 days to finish the last remaining disaster recovery project from the spring 2011 flooding and activation of the Birds Point-New Madrid Floodway.

County officials were told by State Emergency Management Agency officials at the end of last year that May 8 was the deadline for all disaster recovery projects from that disaster to be completely finished -- including paperwork.

The county's last remaining disaster recovery project, then and now, is the restoration of County Road 310.

But based on correspondence with SEMA officials earlier this week, County Clerk Junior DeLay said, it now appears things have changed as he was advised the county can and should request one more extension on the project.

DeLay said he asked Jeff Briggs, public assistance coordinator for SEMA, in an email for confirmation of what was required by May 8 and was advised that date "is for the completion of the actual construction work, not paperwork."

Briggs did add that "it would be nice to get the paperwork without too much of a delay," DeLay said, preferably by the end of May.

But then another public assistance coordinator for SEMA, Karen Cassmeyer, advised DeLay via email to have SEMA officials submit another extension request from the county to the Federal Emergency Management Agency "if you think there is any possibility that the actual work won't be completed by May 9."

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