Gov. Miller signs $1 million flood relief bill

Saturday, Feb. 8, 1997 | 4:37 a.m.

Under terms of the measure signed Friday, Nevada will pay $1 million in order to receive $3 million from the Federal Emergency Management Agency for temporary repairs.

The expenditure is separate from money needed to pay for damages to other areas, like public buildings or roads. Damage estimates are running as high as $35 million for public property, which doesn't include private property assessments.

The $1 million will go to FEMA's "Individual and Family Grants" program to cover cleanup efforts that aren't included in the federal government's larger Individual Assistance program.

The program, funded by the federal government, provides temporary housing for disaster victims, payment to unemployed workers, inspection services and crisis counseling.

The agreement to divide costs between the state and federal government was made immediately after Miller declared the state a disaster area on Jan. 3.

Eventually, the state must pay $5.3 million for infrastructure repairs, $1.1 million in preventative projects and $253,000 in administrative costs.