State and federal officials wrapped up their flood-damage assessment work in Casper Thursday but say it's too early to put an updated estimate on the total damage.

Meanwhile, local officials still have a few weeks before they have to finalize their damage report and forward it to the governor. He would then decide whether to ask for federal money.

Natrona County's Emergency Management Coordinator Stuart Anderson said the county found hundreds of thousands of dollars in damage to uninsured public property and are still pegging the total city and county damages at about $4 million.

Last week, more than 2.25 inches of rain fell on the area within one hour. The rain was too much for a city that only averages about a foot of rain each year, Anderson said.

The city closed its Emergency Operations Center yesterday at noon, according to Tim Cortez, acting fire chief for Casper Fire-EMS.

"We've seen a 50 percent decrease day after day since Tuesday," Cortez said. "Each day we're getting half as much. We still have our Dumpsters out, we're still picking stuff up and people are still using those."

Jerry DeFelice, a spokesman for the Federal Emergency Management Authority, said some local agencies haven't reported all the damage and there are still "loose ends to tie up." If Casper did get federal assistance, the state would have to share in the clean-up costs as well, he said.

Mayor Kenyne Schlager said the last update she was given tallied 700 flood-damaged homes, and she wasn't sure Casper would qualify for federal money.

"I don't know if we're going to get federal funds for our community but you sure have to give it a try," she said. "It's better to try and fail than not try at all."

Reach city reporter Pete Nickeas at (307) 266-0639 or pete.nickeas@trib.com

News Tracker

* LAST WE KNEW: City and county officials estimate about $4 million in damages to public and private property from the 2.25 inches of rain that fell on July 3. That total includes both public and private property, and both insured and uninsured property.

* THE LATEST: Federal Emergency Management Agency and state emergency officials have wrapped up their work in Casper, while city and county agencies sort out technicalities. A FEMA spokesman wouldn't say what the damages were because damage assessments in Casper haven't yet concluded.

* WHAT'S NEXT: Local officials have about three weeks to revise their initial disaster declaration. If Gov. Dave Freudenthal thinks it's not within the state's capability to pay for uninsured losses, he'll ask the federal government for funding. A spokeswoman for the state's Department of Homeland Security said the agency doesn't have a hard number yet so it's too early to say whether they'll seek federal assistance.

Damage Estimates

Information from Tim Cortez, Acting Fire Chief of Casper Fire-EMS:

$6,500 in overtime costs for public safety workers

$80,000 in damage to the Hall of justice and the Nicolaysan Art Museum

$150,000 in damage at Three Crowns Golf Course

$380,000 in damage to city owned and maintained streets and sidewalks

Information from Tim Cortez, Acting Fire Chief of Casper Fire-EMS:

$6,500 in overtime costs for public safety workers

$80,000 in damage to the Hall of justice and the Nicolaysian Art Museum

$150,000 in damage at Three Crowns Golf Course

$380,000 in damage to city owned and maintained streets and sidewalks

$400,000 in damage to an EPA-mandated construction project at the landfill

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