MONARCH — Representatives of the Farm Service Agency (FSA) met with people in the community of Monarch on Tuesday, August 6, 2024, to discuss how they can help clean-up efforts after the disastrous storms in the spring.
Cascade County Director of Emergency Management Joey Zahara told MTN News several days after the storm: "The storm brought four feet of wet, heavy snow in just a few hours, crippling the power infrastructure. Monarch and Neihart were without power for 72 hours. Trees landed on houses, blocked roads, and created widespread chaos."
“We’re from the ground roots up,” said Jill Lorang, County Executive Director for the USDA FSA, on Tuesday. “It's supposed to help with the local level, to try and assist these land owners that were affected by the blowdown event that occurred.”
Greg Tefft is a resident who was greatly affected by the storm.
“I lost, I have about two acres of property and I lost about 50 trees on my property,” Tefft said. “Thirteen of them actually uprooted. And then the rest of them all broke off. You know, some of them are over 100 feet tall.”
Greg is one of many who will have the chance to be reimbursed by the government through their cost share program.
“It’s a cost share program that offers emergency assistance to non-industrial private forest lands,” Lorang said. “We pay up to 75% based upon component codes of like debris removal, tree removal, chipping, those type of projects that occur when the tree is fell.”
If you already started cleanup, like Greg has, you may still be eligible, but you must request a waiver.
“They do have some stuff in here that you know, we can take advantage of,” Tefft said. “For those that have done stuff. some waivers that they can get so that maybe we can get some recoup on the money that we spent to clean our properties.”
Otherwise, applying is straightforward.
Lorang said, “If people are going to sign up, we're going to need your recorded deed at least, so we can have the legal description of the property, and then come into the office. Come into your local FSA office, either in Judith Basin…or Cascade Counties to apply.”
While it isn’t perfect, people are happy to be getting any help at all.
“Trees go down in the woods,” Tefft said, “You know, it's surprising that we're getting any help. And I think it's wonderful that we are.”
