While the citizens of Lincoln County wait to hear if they will receive federal funds to help clean up the destruction wrought by back-to-back severe weather events in December, the formal request sits on the desk of Pres. Donald Trump where it’s been for nearly two months.

Flooding during the end of the second week of the month was followed by severe a wind the following week. In its wake were tens of millions of dollars in damage.

Several bridges and roads were damaged or destroyed. A small diversion dam on Flower Creek was also damaged that at the time threatened the city.

The remains of the wind storm are still evident as chunks of cut up trees still rest in yards. Power was not fully restored until nearly Christmas in many places.

After local, state and federal officials worked to determine damage estimates that exceeded $10 million, Gov. Greg Gianforte submitted a request Jan. 10 to Trump to issue a presidential Major Disaster Declaration.

While Trump did OK a request for $5 million in December for the emergencies that occurred in Lincoln and Sanders counties and the Blackfeet Nation, all that did was put personnel on the ground in the affected communities to help local officials navigate the extremely complex process of seeking assistance.

The status of the Major Disaster Declaration was one of many topics that came up during a public meeting in Libby last Thursday. About three dozen residents attended.

Lincoln County District 1 Commissioner Brent Teske said the county has drafted a letter to Gianforte to see where the request stands.

The Revolving Door Project (therevolvingdoorproject.org) tracks Trump’s disaster policy. In a Feb. 26 update, it said Trump issued 41 major disaster declarations and denied 18. Right now, 20 weather-related requests are pending.

The declaration is critical for local communities because it frees up federal resources, including money to reimburse households, rebuild infrastructure and invest in preventive action in anticipation of future weather-related disasters.

Montana Department of Emergency Services Mitigation and Recovery Bureau Chief Jake Ganieany said there hasn’t been a word about the major disaster declaration. He also said communication with the Federal Emergency Management Agency hasn’t been great due to the furloughs it has endured.

Sara Hartley, State Hazard Mitigation Officer for Montana DES, suggested to property owners that if insurance companies won’t cover damages, they should contact the state auditor’s office for help.

The status of the main bridge and road washouts also generated a sizable amount of discussion.

The Keeler Creek Bridge is one of the higher priority projects for replacement, according to Lincoln County Emergency Services Director Boyd White.

“We may look at extending the levees up and down stream of the bridge that could help mitigate future problems,” White said.

Troy Volunteer Fire Chief DJ Welch, who is also the supervisor of the county road department in District 2, said bids were put out for replacement of the bridge.

Officials are looking at a temporary structure, with a $1 million price tag, or a permanent bridge, a $2 million cost. 

Some questioned why bids were being sought for two structures, but Welch said a temporary structure could be in place sooner.

“We’d prefer to get something done there by June or July for the traffic to use,” Welch said.

County planning director Jesse Haag said there is a new channel in the stream due to the flooding.

“The water level is still relatively and there’s a lot of thought going in to what needs done there,” Haag said.

The bridge replacement project on the Farm to Market south of Libby is a top priority for state officials, according to Montana Department of Transportation’s Justun Juelfs.

“That bridge was scheduled for replacement because of its age,” Juelfs said. “But now, it’s an expedited process and our target is 12 months. In a normal process, it’d take about three to five years, but wee are meeting once a week to make it happen before the end of the year.”

Juelfs said the project is in the preliminary design phase and once that is done, hopefully by the end of March, the transportation committee will take a look at it.

The initial plan is to make the new bridge 303 feet long, instead of the 150 feet it was.

“That will help alleviate the choke point there,” Juelfs said.

Kootenai National Forest lands, roads and bridges took a major beating in the two December weather disasters, but officials are planning on fixing some of the major problems, hopeful the money will be available.

Libby District Ranger Nate Gassman spoke about the two areas on most people’s minds - the Libby Creek Road washouts and the Ross Creek Cedars.

There are two washouts on Libby Creek, one at the 1-mile mark and another at the 8-mile mark.

“We’ve applied for money to do the work on Libby Creek Road, but Congress needs to approve it,” Gassman said. “Maybe this summer it will get done, but there is the potential for it to go to next summer. “Right now we’re working on designs for the first washout so the water doesn’t hammer that bank as hard.”

Gassman said forest officials are working with the county on the Granite Creek Bridge.

As for the Ross Creek Cedars, Gassman was not optimistic for a quick fix. 

“It definitely won’t be this year and it could be multiple years,” he said. “Where we built the new trail there is three of four feet of sediment. It’s gonna take a long time to restore it for visitors.”

Officials previously said NFS Road 398 to the Cedars, which is currently closed to motorized vehicles for the season, was considerably damaged, with multiple spots comprised by landslides, washouts, heavy water flow and large debris deposits. There was a large landslide on the hillside near the road, that has almost eroded to the guardrail, creating unstable road conditions.

It’s particularly devastating because of the extensive work that occurred last year during an improvement project that was funded by the Great American Outdoors Act.

The new Ross Creek Nature Trail No. 405, which opened in September, provided full accessibility and was meant to make the trail sustainable to nature’s elements.

The improvements included the following:

- Construction of almost one mile of new trail using compacted gravel materials, producing a firm and stable trail surface to provide a user-friendly, all-season trail for all types and ages of visitors, including strollers and wheelchairs;

- Installation of 16 new, heavy-duty benches dispersed throughout the Cedars;

- Three new trail bridges;

- Addition of approximately 200 feet of boardwalk;

- Five new wooden walkways, constructed utilizing logs or planks to traverse wet or boggy areas of a trail;

- Designated spur trails were developed to lead into and around character trees to help protect cedar groves and other vegetation from the high visitation rates.