LANDIS — The extensive damage wrought by the Aug. 7 storms that hit Landis has prompted the town to declare a state of emergency.

Town Manager Michael Ambrose explained that the cleanup efforts have been widespread, but Landis personnel were overwhelmed by the volume.

“We got hit really hard with that,” Ambrose said.

By declaring a state of emergency, Landis may qualify for emergency aid funding.

“This authorizes the state emergency preparedness to deliver some resources for us,” Ambrose said. “It’s called type 1 state disaster declaration for public assistance.”

A state assessor will come in to inspect the damages next week.

“We have to ensure the damages are one percent of our operating budget,” Ambrose said. “We believe that we qualify for that at this time.”

One percent of Landis’ operating budget is $145,000.

“It’s a long process,” Ambrose said. “If the assessment comes back good, we will bring resources in next week or the first of the next.”

Rowan County Emergency Services Deputy Chief TJ Brown explained how his organization would assist with Landis.

“The way that emergency management process works, there is a flow,” Brown said. “It flows from federal down to state down to county, then down to the municipality. Our role is to help make sure the municipalities have the resources they need to do everything.”

“We will be partnering with them to help them complete, cross all the T’s and dot all the I’s as they work through submitting the needed information to the state to get that assistance.”

With debris cleanup, there are several elements that a municipality can document to recoup.

“You can claim your operating hours on your bulldozer or backhoe,” Brown said. “We partner to look over the list and brainstorm with them to make sure they can capture everything possible in terms of expense.”