Douglas County residents can apply for federal help with uninsured expenses from last week’s ice storm.

Douglas County governments also are optimistic they’ll qualify for federal aid in the coming days to help pay for overtime and other storm-related costs estimated near $250,000.

A disaster declaration Thursday by President Bush opened the door for federal funding for residents in 35 Kansas counties, including Douglas.

The declaration allows residents and businesses to apply for federal grants and low-interest loans to pay for temporary housing, emergency home repairs and other disaster-related expenses not covered by insurance.

“The key is it has to be an uninsured loss,” said Paula Phillips, Douglas County emergency management director. “For example, if for some reason you can’t get your debris to the roadside for city crews to pick up and you have to hire someone to haul the debris away, keep that receipt, because if your homeowner’s insurance doesn’t cover it, these federal funds might.”

Another likely reimbursable expense caused by the storm: repairs to electric meters being torn from people’s homes by falling limbs.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency is coordinating all the financial assistance programs. Residents and businesses can apply for the funding by calling (800) 621-FEMA.

County, city and township officials also are hopeful they’ll be able to qualify for federal assistance in the near future. Thursday’s declaration allows only Wyandotte and Johnson counties to apply for money to reimburse local governments for their storm-related costs.

But Phillips said her office was close to documenting that Douglas County governments have spent more than $250,000 on storm-related expenses which would qualify the county, cities and townships to be reimbursed for 75 percent of their storm costs.

“We’re right on the border line of being eligible right now,” Phillips said. “We’re just still waiting on some information from some cities and townships.”

Phillips said government leaders, especially in smaller communities, are telling her the storm stretched their financial resources.

“It is a little easier for Lawrence and the county to cope with these costs, but it is not easy at all for the smaller communities,” Phillips said. “Every dollar really helps.”

Baldwin City Administrator Larry Paine said his community spent about $90,000 on storm-related expenses, mainly from repairing the city-owned electric system and debris removal.

“It hasn’t created a financial crisis, but I would take a reimbursement in a heartbeat,” Paine said. “It’s a paperwork nightmare to get it, but it would be worth it in this case.”