“That includes prevention, all the expenses, moving lumber and the interruption in business,” Jones said. “You really can’t separate anything.”

Jones said he is extremely grateful to the City of Natchez and Adams County and hopes he’s seen the last of record-breaking floods.

“We really can’t afford a bunch of expenses like that again,” Jones said. “We need about 100 years of peace before we can handle that again.”

Natchez Under-the-Hill

Buildings Under-the-Hill suffered minimal damage, thanks to a wall of Hesco baskets the property owners put up.

Denton Biglane, whose family owns property on Silver Street in Natchez, said flood insurance covered the cost of needed repairs.

“The flood insurance people were great, and I’ve gotten the money for the repairs,” Biglane said.

Biglane would not disclose the cost of flood prevention efforts.

“We didn’t get anything from the government,” Biglane said. “They were very helpful, but the only thing they could offer us was a loan, and the rates for the loan were the same amount of money to go to a local bank and get the money, and there was a lot more paperwork.

“It was much easier to just go to a local bank and ask for the money.”

Biglane said the City of Natchez and City Engineer David Gardner played a large role in protecting Under-the-Hill businesses like Magnolia Grill and the Under-the-Hill Saloon.

“The few times we needed him, (Gardner) really helped us,” Biglane said. “We wouldn’t have gotten it done without them.”

City of Natchez:

The City of Natchez and Natchez Water Works have been awarded a combined $156,000 for damages from last spring’s flood.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency and the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency will pay the city $79,000, and Water Works $77,000.

Natchez City Engineer David Gardner said the check from FEMA was received last week, and the city is awaiting the check from MEMA. FEMA pays 87.5 percent of the funds, and MEMA pays 12.5 percent.

The city receives one check from each agency, Gardner said, and the checks are then divided up between the city and Water Works and deposited in the appropriate accounts based on for what the funds are designated.

The money, Gardner said, will reimburse both the city and Water Works for money both the entities spent last spring during the flood, such as purchasing sandbags, overtime for employees or renting equipment for flood-related work.

Gardner said the money the city spent came from its general fund, and the money spent by Water Works came from its budget.

In addition to the monies spent last spring, Gardner said the FEMA and MEMA funds are designated for repairs both the city and Water Works have to make because of the flood.

The city, Gardner said, will be handling the repairs to city infrastructure such as erosion of streets, replacing gravel on Cooper Street, erosion at Roth Hill and repairing the boat ramp on Silver Street.

Water Works, Gardner said, will repair damages to items including the sewage system and the Natchez Wastewater Treatment Plant.

“There’s a whole list of things the money has to be spent on,” Gardner said. “It’s a lot of little things that really add up once you put a calculator to it.”

Gardner said although the money will go back into the city’s general fund and Water Works’ budget, all of the money is designated down to the penny of how it has to be spent.

Gardner said he will itemize a final list of reimbursements and repairs next week so the money can be divided up and repairs can begin.