Federal Disaster

Anne Arundel County's highway bureau will receive $1.5 million in federal aid to reimburse local taxpayers for money spent clearing snow from last February's snowstorms. The assistance from the Federal Emergency Management Agency represents 75 percent of the county's expenditures. It is part of more than $82 million that FEMA has provided for Maryland following federal disaster declarations during last year's severe winter weather. Maryland weather blog: Frank Roylance on meteorology Sign up for FREE mobile weather alerts

WESTMINSTER -- County farmers involved in federal feed and grain programs are eligible for aid to compensate for effects of the drought.Elizabeth A. Schaeffer, executive director of the county Agricultural Stabilization and Conservation Service, said about 200 farms, or about 3,500 acres, in Carroll are affected.The aid allows farmers to use land that had been set aside. Farmers may take hay off the land or let cattle graze on it, she said.The last time the county received such aid was in 1988, Schaeffer said.

Farmers with crop losses because of drought or other natural disasters in 1990 or 1991 are eligible for federal disaster aid and may apply for it Feb. 3 through March 13.Farmers who have crop insurance must have losses of more than 35 percent; those without insurance must have losses of more than 40 percent, according to the Agricultural Stabilization and Conservation Service office.The program provides cash payments, which are scheduled to be issued by April 16.Meanwhile, farmers participating in the wool and mohair incentive program must turn in their sales receipts to the ASCS by March 2 to be eligible for price support payments under the National Wool Act.Information: 848-2780.

Flooding from the remnants of Hurricane Fran did more than $1.3 million in damage to Maryland roads, bridges and other public structures, a Maryland Emergency Management Agency official said yesterday.The estimates from damage assessment teams will be used by the Glendening administration to support its preliminary request for federal disaster aid for as many as six counties in Western and Southern Maryland.House Speaker Casper R. Taylor Jr. said he asked U.S. Sen. Barbara A. Mikulski to convene a summit meeting with federal and state agencies to create long-range strategy against future flooding in Allegany County.

I have followed with interest the discussion of burying electric lines to reduce power outages after big storms. While burying the whole system would cost too much, couldn't power companies establish priority areas for repairs based on data from previous storm? Also, why weren't the Boy Scouts, the National Guard or even military helicopters mobilized as part of the federal disaster declaration? Perhaps slings could have been used to move giant trees. With the power off, entangled lines could be safely cut beforehand and the whole tree could have been moved to nearby woodlands to rot. The scouts and National Guard could have gone out to help the utility crews.

Federal disaster relief funds were allocated Wednesday to Maryland by President Obama, according to a statement from the White House. The money will be put toward state and local efforts to clean up from the damage caused by the heavy rains from Tropical Storm Lee. The storm hit the state for four days in early September. Government agencies and some nonprofits in Anne Arundel, Cecil, Charles and Prince George's counties can use the money for emergency work and the repair and replacement of facilities damaged by the storm.

A Farmer Education/Resource Day will be held from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Nov. 3 at the Maryland Cooperative Extension Office, 330 Montevue Lane in Frederick County. The event will feature information on Maryland's nutrient management regulations, best management practices, financial assistance programs, sustainable agriculture, organic agriculture and marketing strategies for small farm producers. The event is sponsored by the Maryland Small Farm Cooperative. Registrants receive two hours of continuing education credits from the Maryland Department of Agriculture's Nutrient Management Program.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Maryland Emergency Board has begun a statewide evaluation of crop damage from this summer's drought to determine whether farmers will qualify for federal disaster relief.James M. Voss, head of the emergency board and executive director of the federal Farm Service Agency office in Columbia, said drought damage assessment reports are being prepared for each county.The emergency board is scheduled to meet next Friday to evaluate the reports and determine whether losses are substantial enough for the panel to recommend to Gov. Parris N. Glendening that the farmers be given relief benefits.

YOUR TAX DOLLARS at work. That big temblor in Southern California has created a rush of damage claims for federal taxpayers to pay. But should federal disaster relief really go toward fixing up a sports stadium?Yes, indeed, says Gov. Pete Wilson, who just happens to be running for re-election. Any funding request he can pass on to Washington is a political feather in his cap.So along come officials from Orange County, home of Anaheim Stadium, which plays host to the California Angels baseball team and the Los Angeles Rams football team.

Gov.Martin O'Malleyhas requested federal disaster relief for 13 counties in the state that have experienced "widespread crop losses" this year due to drought and extreme heat. In a letter dated Tuesday, O'Malley asked Tom Vilsack, secretary of theU.S. Department of Agriculture, to issue a Secretarial Disaster Designation for the counties based on Maryland Farm Service Agency data showing they are experiencing crop losses of more than 30 percent this year. "I urge you to act quickly upon this request so that appropriate relief can be made available to eligible producers," O'Malley wrote in the letter.