Staff told the committee hurricane-related expenditures totaled $166,358,000 as of Oct. 31 and reported $72,687,000 in aggregate FEMA reimbursements (with $22,687,000 submitted to Hancock Whitney); staff said two new projects were obligated during the month and provided an update on amounts obligated by FEMA (transcript phrasing unclear on exact final figure).

County staff told the Finance, Administration and Economic Development Committee that the state received a $10 million FEMA mitigation award; homeowners who received direct FEMA notice (identified as repetitive loss) must apply through the county by Oct. 9; the county will act as a pass‑through and a state consultant will assist applicants.

County staff said the president signed a disaster declaration covering 30 counties; Brown County initially submitted $3,180,000 in damages and FEMA/state estimates put damage at about $4.0–$4.2 million. The state will schedule public-assistance briefings to walk applicants through the FEMA portal and reimbursement process.

Mayor Thomas McDermott Jr. said Hammond has recorded more than $2,000,000 in damages from the Aug. 11 storm, the city hired an outside firm to help with FEMA claims and crews, and he expects debris cleanup to continue through October with potential FEMA reimbursement in 2027.

The board approved short-term local disaster emergency declarations for Aug. 19, Aug. 26 and Sept. 2, 2026, and directed staff to prepare bid documents for countywide debris collection while holding final bid authorization pending state coordination.

City staff reported 86 active FEMA projects with about $9.1 million in obligated federal shares, and the county's larger $880M recovery distribution has largely been allocated to People First programs while the $200M community grant portion has not yet launched.

Council approved a $600,934.64 task order with Bohannon Houston for construction observation, admin and material testing on FEMA Package 1 covering many Upper Canyon roads and a Perk Canyon water line; staff said 90% plans are under review and goal is to bid this fall.

With the county’s grant coordinator leaving Sept. 30 and a new large disaster grant underway, commissioners weighed contracting a firm (e.g., GrantWorks) or hiring a FEMA-specific specialist and overlapping hires to maintain continuity; staff recommended budgeting for both interim contractor support and a grant manager position.

The Town Council approved Resolution 26-42 to extend a limited emergency proclamation through July 31 so contractors can begin hazardous-tree removal in public rights-of-way and preserve possible FEMA reimbursement; staff said the extension is narrowly scoped to work already underway.

The commission added three small-purchase debris-assessment contracts for districts 1–3 after a winter ice storm, authorized advertising for debris-removal IDIQs, and heard that initial assessments will be submitted next week to support FEMA funding requests.

The Libby City Council voted to hire ER Assist Inc. to pursue FEMA reimbursements for emergency work at the Lower Flower Creek Reservoir. The three‑year contract is capped at $80,000; councilors raised questions about billing, documentation and how long reimbursements could take.