Financial assistance is now available to repair utilities and roads in four Oregon counties after February's ice storm.
It's been two months since the ice storm hit the Willamette Valley. But residents and businesses are still paying the price. Recently, federal aid became available for Benton, Lane, Linn, and Lincoln counties after President Obama declared the storm a disaster on April 4th.
Oregon's Office of Emergency Management, or O.E.M., announced the Public Assistant Grant Program to help repair property and rebuild infrastructure.
Spokesman Cory Grogan says the money will not only fix structures… it'll make them more resistant to future storms.
Grogan: "There's some dollars allocated toward investing in the future. So when another storm comes through your area, you're going to be better off because some of these public utilities have been mitigated. They've been fixed up and it will be safer next time through."
The federal government will provide a 75 percent match to cover the cost of repairs, and local jurisdictions will pay the other 25 percent.
The O.E.M estimates the grants total 8 to 10 million dollars. They will only be available to public infrastructure agencies who already met with county officials.