Lincoln County, Caliente share disaster money

CARSON CITY -- It took almost 2 1/2 years, but the city of Caliente and Lincoln County received slightly more than $1.5 million Thursday from a state disaster relief fund to help pay the costs of flood damage that occurred in January 2005.

The city of Caliente, which lost a well and has only one operating, will receive just under $1.1 million. About $550,000 of that will cover the state's share of the cost of a new well, which could total $2.2 million. The federal government is expected to pay the remainder of the cost.

But a request by the city for $550,000 for damage to personal residences was not included in the allocation approved by the Board of Examiners, which includes Gov. Jim Gibbons.

The request for help for damaged homes does not fall under the scope of the disaster relief fund, said Andrew Clinger, director of the Department of Administration.

Caliente Mayor Kevin Phillips told the board that if all goes according to plan, a new well could be in place by spring 2008. This will be the third summer the city is relying on a single well, although additional water can be obtained from a well operated by the state Caliente Youth Center, if necessary, he said.

"If that (city well) goes down we've got severe problems," Phillips said. "I'm crossing my fingers."

Phillips said the money will be a great benefit to the city.

Lincoln County was approved for $424,000 in funding from the program.

The flooding caused about $14 million in damage to public property in several Southern Nevada communities in Lincoln and Clark counties. Caliente and Lincoln County sought money from the state disaster fund because of a limited tax base to help pay for the repairs.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency is paying some of the costs to repair infrastructure as a result of a presidential disaster declaration issued in March of 2005.

The federal government did provide some help to homeowners. The Small Business Administration declared business owners, homeowners and renters eligible for low-interest loans to repair damage or replace lost property.