MONROE - A local official's hunch, an 86-year-old clerical error, and a little detective work will pay off big for Green County.
That's because the county has been added to the list of 11 in Wisconsin that qualify for federal emergency assistance related to last winter's historic blizzard, which stranded motorists, strained resources and challenged highway crews from Jan 31. to Feb. 3, 2011.
The change of heart by emergency management officials means Green County is now eligible for the same relief earlier offered to Lafayette County to the west.
Tanna McKeon, Green County's emergency management coordinator, said that when Gov. Scott Walker announced the list of eligible counties earlier this month, she had a "hunch" that Green should have been included among them.
Yet, initial research didn't conclude that the county had reached the threshold of a "historic snowfall" - a requirement to have a shot at some of the millions in federal and state aid that would eventually be distributed in Wisconsin. According to McKeon, records retrieved from county archives showed that, in 1926, Brodhead endured a 25-inch snow accumulation, making it the de facto standard by which the county's application would be judged by the state.
However, McKeon said she noticed that other counties at the time recorded no snowfall totals of such a magnitude. She then took her concerns to Rusty Kapela, of the National Weather Service. He was able to find an unofficial weather spotter, who reported a higher total - and one more in line with what the region experienced during the epic storm. That conclusion also was supported by recorded reflected radar loop data showing that the northwest part of Green County received heavier snows - for a longer period - than other areas, she said.
What's more, the pair determined, there did not appear to be a 25-inch storm in Brodhead in 1926. Rather, there was a 2.5-inch storm and an apparent typo - a missing period - in the historical record.
They took their findings to Wisconsin Emergency Management Coordinator Diane Kleiboer, who helped them get approval and be added to the list, according to McKeon, who made the announcement Monday.
"I was very pleased, and (officials in) our villages and towns really liked it," she said.
Now Green County governments are being asked to determine their "highest expenses during a 48-hour period of time from Jan. 31 to Feb. 7, 2011" and submit the information to Green County Emergency Management officials for review. With FEMA assistance, those agencies may be reimbursed for 75 percent of their expenses, with the state picking up another 12.5 percent.
In a statement, McKeon said initial Green County expenses in February topped $219,000. Statewide, according to Gov. Scott Walker's office, snow plowing and other emergency response efforts totaled $9.5 million.
In addition to Lafayette and Green Counties, eligible counties named in the federal disaster declaration were Dane, Dodge, Grant, Iowa, Kenosha, Milwaukee, Racine, Walworth and Washington.
Assistance is only available for local and state agencies, not for individuals or private businesses. The disaster aid covers equipment usage, contracts, and personnel overtime related to plowing snow. In addition, sanding and salting, search and rescue, shelter operations, and police and fire department response also are eligible for reimbursement.
That's because the county has been added to the list of 11 in Wisconsin that qualify for federal emergency assistance related to last winter's historic blizzard, which stranded motorists, strained resources and challenged highway crews from Jan 31. to Feb. 3, 2011.
The change of heart by emergency management officials means Green County is now eligible for the same relief earlier offered to Lafayette County to the west.
Tanna McKeon, Green County's emergency management coordinator, said that when Gov. Scott Walker announced the list of eligible counties earlier this month, she had a "hunch" that Green should have been included among them.
Yet, initial research didn't conclude that the county had reached the threshold of a "historic snowfall" - a requirement to have a shot at some of the millions in federal and state aid that would eventually be distributed in Wisconsin. According to McKeon, records retrieved from county archives showed that, in 1926, Brodhead endured a 25-inch snow accumulation, making it the de facto standard by which the county's application would be judged by the state.
However, McKeon said she noticed that other counties at the time recorded no snowfall totals of such a magnitude. She then took her concerns to Rusty Kapela, of the National Weather Service. He was able to find an unofficial weather spotter, who reported a higher total - and one more in line with what the region experienced during the epic storm. That conclusion also was supported by recorded reflected radar loop data showing that the northwest part of Green County received heavier snows - for a longer period - than other areas, she said.
What's more, the pair determined, there did not appear to be a 25-inch storm in Brodhead in 1926. Rather, there was a 2.5-inch storm and an apparent typo - a missing period - in the historical record.
They took their findings to Wisconsin Emergency Management Coordinator Diane Kleiboer, who helped them get approval and be added to the list, according to McKeon, who made the announcement Monday.
"I was very pleased, and (officials in) our villages and towns really liked it," she said.
Now Green County governments are being asked to determine their "highest expenses during a 48-hour period of time from Jan. 31 to Feb. 7, 2011" and submit the information to Green County Emergency Management officials for review. With FEMA assistance, those agencies may be reimbursed for 75 percent of their expenses, with the state picking up another 12.5 percent.
In a statement, McKeon said initial Green County expenses in February topped $219,000. Statewide, according to Gov. Scott Walker's office, snow plowing and other emergency response efforts totaled $9.5 million.
In addition to Lafayette and Green Counties, eligible counties named in the federal disaster declaration were Dane, Dodge, Grant, Iowa, Kenosha, Milwaukee, Racine, Walworth and Washington.
Assistance is only available for local and state agencies, not for individuals or private businesses. The disaster aid covers equipment usage, contracts, and personnel overtime related to plowing snow. In addition, sanding and salting, search and rescue, shelter operations, and police and fire department response also are eligible for reimbursement.