Franklin County suffers more than 2.6 million dollars in damage from Tropical Storm Debby

The unofficial damage total for Tropical Storm Debbby in Franklin County was 2,682,201 dollars.

That was the word from County Emergency Management director Pam Brownell to the county commission on Tuesday.

Miss Brownell said there were 4 homes destroyed during the storm, while 12 more suffered major damage, 15 suffered minor damage, and 8 were considered “affected”.

Miss Brownell said the total is nowhere near complete as they are still tallying damage from debris and other damage caused by the storm.

The county has met the threshold for public assistance, but not for individual assistance.

The county is also waiting to see if Florida will be eligible for federal assistance.

That depends on whether the state overall suffered at least 25 million dollars in damage from tropical storm Debby.

The local damage assessment also does not take into account the damage that was done to oyster bars in the Apalachicola Bay.

Franklin County Seafood Workers Association President Shannon Hartsfield said the summer bars were devastated by the storm, and up to 60 percent of them could be gone.

There have also been reports of mud on the bars and of oysters dead from too much fresh water.

The county said those impacts should be added to the damage assessment, and have asked that the Florida Department of Agriculture do a thorough inspection of the oyster bars so there is a full accounting of the true impact of the storm. 

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