County Escapes Serious Damage - Cattlemen Have Recourse

While the southern Panhandle didn’t take the severe damage and losses of those in eastern Nebraska, local entities, in particular cattlemen, still suffered hardship from the cyclone blizzard that struck the area in mid-March.

Cold, wet conditions came with extremely high winds, subjecting cattle - particularly new-borns - to dangerous conditions. With warnings of the pending severity of the storm going out days before it actually hit, cattlemen with the facilities were able to shelter their animals a little more. But for some, that wasn’t a viable option.

No one can put a number on cattle losses in Cheyenne County. Farm Service Agency executive director Brad Fraass said by FSA rule he can’t specify county losses, but said they were slightly higher than normal. Fraas did say as of last Friday, reports were still coming in and he had been told of new losses discovered after drifts behind a tree line melted down.

Aside from cattle losses, the county escaped in relatively good shape.

Region 21 Emergency Management Coordinator, Ron Leal, said Cheyenne County was fortunate that no structures were damaged by runoff flooding. He said other counties he manages farther to the north, Morrill and Garden, had more snow and runoff, but still, compared to the other end of the state “we came out okay.”

But better off doesn’t mean nothing, and with local emergency declarations, Leal said the local area does qualify for federal funds if it meets the criteria. He said he expects FEMA representatives to be assigned to the area to survey damages.

The emergency declaration also puts the county in line for mitigation funds should they be appropriate to help the county prepare for heading off losses in the future.

Next to cattle losses, county roads were hard hit, with many being damaged when the snow melted quickly and runoff washed out low lying roads.

But again, the county was fortunate.

“We had several roads wash out, but we didn’t lose any structures or culverts,” said Doug Hart, Cheyenne County highway superintendent.

Hart said the runoff from snow melt was so great that culverts could not handle it. For several days right after the storm “we had an immense runoff,” he said.

County crews worked to identify trouble spots where roads were washed out, and were able to fill them in and smooth them out. The problem still remains, Hart said Monday, that the roads and surrounding ground is still saturated.

“We can get them smoothed up, but a little rain - like we’re having today - and they are rutted back up in no time.”

Hart said costs associated with the storm were relatively minor. He said they amounted to extra materials (gravel) and associated travel hours, and a little overtime as crews worked to re-open roads.

For those hardest hit - cattle owners - there are mechanisms to help with their losses. Fraass said producers who suffered livestock losses due to the recent blizzard, may be eligible for the Livestock Indemnity Program (LIP).

“The Livestock Indemnity Program provides producers with a vital safety net to help them overcome the financial impact of extreme or abnormal weather” said Fraass. “The blizzard has really had a significant impact on some livestock producers, and we encourage them to reach out to our office.”

LIP compensates livestock owners and contract growers for livestock death losses in excess of normal mortality due to an adverse weather event, such as floods, blizzards, and extreme cold. The payment rate is based on 75 percent of the average fair market value of the livestock.

A livestock producer must file a notice of loss within 30 calendar days of when the loss of livestock is first apparent.

Livestock producers must provide evidence that the death of livestock was due to an eligible adverse weather event or loss condition. In addition, livestock producers should bring supporting evidence, including documentation of the number and kind of livestock that died, photographs or video records to document the loss, purchase records, veterinarian records, production records and other similar documents.

Producers may apply for LIP benefits at their local FSA office. For more information on LIP, to submit a notice of loss or to submit an application for payment, please contact the Cheyenne County FSA office.