As road damage frustrates residents, Okaloosa awaits FEMA funding (VIDEO)
BAKER — Out-of-town motorists driving on Highway 189 face a surprise as they turn onto Sexton Drive.
A quarter-mile down Sexton — much of which is lined with barricades and cones — is a washed out stretch with a waist-deep crater.
Watch video of Baker residents talking about the damage>>
The quiet county road is home to a small number of families and retirees who haven't had a smooth trip since April's floods.
But this is more than an inconvenience; the road is potentially dangerous, some residents said.
LIFESTYLE CHANGES
"I try to make sure when people come to my house, I'm like, 'Stay over to the left (of the road)," Patrick Crinklaw said. Steering right could land you in a ditch or a 3-foot hole.
Some of Sexton's most significant damage is just in front — well, now, below — Crinklaw's driveway.
Wheel tracks on his neighbor's front lawn indicate his new way home. "I've had to ruin my neighbor's yard," Crinklaw said.
And, since the flood, his daughters — 8 and 5 years old — haven't been able to ride their bicycles in the area.
"You used to see (neighborhood kids) out here running and playing," said James Brown, who's lived on the street more than 30 years. "Now, they have to really be careful.
"My goodness, would you want your child playing around, riding a bicycle here?"
PERSONAL EFFORTS
April's washout wasn't Sexton's first. Tropical Storm Lee caused some damage in 2011, Crinklaw said. So did Hurricane Georges in 1998, Brown said.
"The damage (with Lee) wasn't as severe as the damage now, but the response was better," Crinklaw said, adding the road was repaired within a month.
This year, it's been seven months, and "there has been absolutely zero work done to it," he said.
Crinklaw, whose friend owns a clay pit, has thought of taking the do-it-yourself route.
"I have access to a huge amount of clay to fill it in, but I don't have the money to pay somebody to come run 50 dump trucks full of clay out here," Crinklaw said. "I mean, it's just really too big a project for us in the neighbhoorhood to take on. "
But, as more of the road caves in, he does adjust county-placed barricades and cones surrounding the hole. And he wonders when county workers can fix the problem area.
"It'd be nice to just get some contact from the county … but they haven't even come here to see if the barricades fell in," Crinklaw said.
"And that's what we pay taxes for. Our taxes are supposed to take care of this problem."
'LIMITED RESOURCES'
Okaloosa County Commissioner Nathan Boyles said he understands Sexton residents' concerns.
"If it was my road, I'd want it done tomorrow, too, but we have limited resources."
Projects like Sexton Drive's erosion qualify for federal assistance, but FEMA must first approve reimbursement requests, county officials said.
"FEMA doesn't give you money upfront; they reimburse you," said Jason Autrey, Okaloosa's engineer and interim Public Works director. "So we have to … agree upfront that the (project's cost) is appropriate, so that when I build it, if I'm within the realm, then they'll match it back."
Ideally, FEMA reimburses up to 75 percent of the cost; the state, 12 1/2 percent; and the county, 12 1/2 percent, according to Autrey. The county can absorb more than 12 1/2 percent, but the goal is to keep the project within budget.
"I can appreciate how inconvenient it has been for everybody (on Sexton Drive), but if we would have gone and done the work and asked for reimbursement after the fact, we very much would have been caught holding the bag," Autrey said.
RATING NEEDS
"It's important to keep in mind we have a big county and a lot of stuff going on … but the reality is all (Sexton) residents have adequate access to their property," Boyle said.
County officials prioritized projects on a list of more than 35 flood-damaged areas including Sexton Drive, Shoal River Drive, Okaloosa Lane, the Okaloosa Jail parking lot and Oak Hill Road.
"Sexton Road is an important project in my district, and it's important to me that it get done, but … it doesn't rate at the top of the list," Boyles said.
County system failures that caused flooded homes take higher priority, county officials said.
"We had a county road that essentially acted as a dam that blocked water back and flooded about a half-dozen homes on Stanley Lane" in Baker, Boyles said.
Negotiations with the federal government are part of a lengthy process that includes engineer work to ensure the job isn't just completed on time, but that it also has lasting results, county officials said.
"There's often a notion that folks don't see guys with hard hats on, out there every day, and they assume that work's not being done," Boyles said. "But a lot of the work is done in the office trying to draft the plans to get started.
"For me, it's frustrating because there's not been a single day, that I'm aware of, where county staff has been sitting on their butts. We've got a list of projects that exceeds both our time, availability and our budgets."
One bright spot? Recent negotiations between a FEMA representative and the county have gone more smoothly compared to discussions shortly after the flood, Autrey said.
For instance, early on, the county sought $250,000 in federal assistance for one project, but a FEMA representative would authorize just $50,000, he said.
Lately, FEMA's offers are starting to align more with county estimates.
IT TAKES TIME
Repairs are in the works, with the county taking bids for construction on the jail parking lot and now requesting approval to advertise for construction on Oak Hill Road and Sexton, Autrey said.
While Crinklaw waits, he remains concerned for motorists unfamiliar with the road.
"You have out-of-towners that turn on the wrong road and they'll come flying down here," he said. "If we didn't keep (adjusting) the barricades up there, they would go off into the abyss. We'd have a pile of cars out here."
That's during the day. It's more difficult in the evening, as the barricades have no lights, he said.
"If you're not from around here and you just drive down this road at night, especially when it's raining, you're liable to end up in (the hole) because you don't know where you are."
Such concerns have merit, but nothing with the federal government happens quickly, and ensuring the area can withstand future natural disasters takes time, Boyles said.
"Those residents deserve to have their road repaired, and it will be; there's no question about it," he said.
"We want to do it as cost effectively as possible for our citizens, and we want to do it right, but that probably means we can't do it quickly."
This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: As road damage frustrates residents, Okaloosa awaits FEMA funding (VIDEO)
