DRAPER, Utah — A month after Draper City and its residents were hammered by serious flooding in homes and on roads, they learned they would not qualify for federal assistance to pay for damages.
In order to qualify for assistance from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) damages must equal at least $5.7 million.
Draper City announced Thursday that the estimate to repair city infrastructure was only between $3-4 million dollars, meaning the city and residents won't qualify for FEMA funding.
The news may be a tough pill to swallow after many residents experienced broken windows and completely flooded levels of their homes. In addition, the city had several areas where the road was completely destroyed due to road buckling and flooding.
In the month since roads were damaged, the city said most repairs have been completed. There are still some final things to wrap up at the Mike Weir Roundabout and at 1300 East and Highland Drive but the city expects the projects to be done by the end of the year.
Right after the flooding event, city leaders said they began assessing damage to both city infrastructure and residents' properties to determine if they could receive any financial assistance.
Since FEMA funding won't be made available, the city and homeowners are left to foot the bill for damages.
Draper City explained the only other help for residents is a low-interest Small Business loan, but it appears even that will be difficult to get.
In order to qualify for that kind of loan, 25-30 homeowners must have either sustained main floor damage to their primary residence, excluding basements or damages that exceed 40% of the land value of the property.
The city is still working to gather data, which must be completed by the end of September, to figure out if residents could benefit from a Small Business loan, officials said in a release.
"Although we knew compensation options were going to be difficult to qualify for, we were hopeful to have some assistance to offer affected residents," the city said. "We understand the hardship these natural disasters can cause. We were also hopeful to not have to cover the unexpected expense to repair the infrastructure."
The city promised that a final update on the eligibility of Small Business loans for residents would be made available after completing the review at the end of September.
