Press Release

Emergency Press Release: Executive lifts State of Emergency for Montgomery County

With evaluation of damage still underway, Ossenfort urges continued caution

FONDA - County Executive Matt Ossenfort has rescinded the State of Emergency, as of 2 p.m., Tuesday. There is some damage throughout the County, the extent of which is being gathered. The State of Emergency went into effect, following Friday's storm, which brought severe weather through the area.

"The flooding was localized, but this event was still devastating to those who were affected," Ossenfort said. "We are working diligently to figure out where repairs are needed and make them as swiftly as possible. While this was an unfortunate incident, our response team reacted exactly how they should to minimize damage and the potential for any danger to residents."

The County is still in the gathering stages of estimates for repair damage and encourages any municipality to provide the office of Emergency Management with written estimates, photos and documents showing the necessary work. Private property owners with damage are encouraged to do the same. The thresholds for State and Federal assistance are difficult to meet, however, gathering the information and record keeping of any damage is a necessity. Once these totals are gathered, they will be forwarded to the State for potential action.

"This is another unfortunate incident for the residents of our County," Emergency Management Director Jeffery T. Smith said. "However, we continue working towards our goals of being more resilient and better prepared."

Even though the State of Emergency has been rescinded, Ossenfort and Smith urge residents to use caution when traveling, as multiple shoulder washouts have occurred and need to be repaired. Please travel with care.