Guthrie County was one of 56 counties in the state that applied for a major disaster declaration after March’s flooding, and recovery may be a long journey ahead for some as damage is assessed.

Adair and Guthrie County Emergency Management Coordinator Bob Kempf says so far a combined $600,000 in damage for Adair and Guthrie counties is estimated, “Of course, the largest amount of damages are of course secondary roads. We’ve had a lot of our granular washed off of the roads. We have I think it’s between the two counties almost 100 places where the road bed was washed out, whether it came off parallel or perpendicular to the road we’ve got road beds that need to be fixed. We’re very fortunate that at this point we’ve not found any bridges that have been structurally affected, so that’s still an ongoing thing.”

Other areas facing recovery include the Lenon Mill Dam and city and county parks. Residents can apply for up to $5,000 of state individual assistance by contacting Kempf or New Opportunities in Guthrie Center. Jurisdictions such as cities and counties are eligible for public assistance from the Federal Emergency Management Agency. For a link to apply for financial assistance, visit here.