GREEN COVE SPRINGS – Hurricane Matthew’s whirlwind weekend visit earlier this month not only wreaked havoc on the region, it left Clay County hanging with a $7 million tab.

Now, Uncle Sam is opening his wallet to help.

Clay County got official word Monday that it is eligible for aid from the Federal Emergency Management Agency for cleanup and repairs in the aftermath of the storm, which battered the area on Oct. 7-8.

The threshold to qualify for FEMA assistance was $690,000. The county is facing $6.9 million in expenditures, and that number could increase.

“It’s our best estimate right now,” said John Ward, Clay County’s director of emergency management.

FEMA will reimburse up to 75 percent of the cost, with the county and state splitting the remainder. The aid applies to general cleanup, debris removal, emergency protective facilities, and repairs to infrastructure, utilities, equipment and parks.

Clay County hasn’t been declared for Individual Assistance, which is a federal assistance program that works directly with individuals and families to compensate for uninsured losses through the provision of limited assistance for home repairs, temporary lodging or other needs, the county reported.

The county has extended its Local State of Emergency through Nov. 2, which will help to address post-disaster public health and safety concerns.

Hurricane Matthew impacted 85 homes in the county, destroyed one and did major damage to 29 other. In several spots throughout the county, trees are still down and debris is sitting curbside awaiting hauling. Many residents have been accumulating vegetation piles in their yards.

Clarke House Park on Kingsley Avenue is temporarily closed because a tree fell on the park’s castle.

The City Pier in Green Cove Springs, which also suffered damage, is closed until further notice.

“This will end up being about a four-week process,” Ward said of the cleanup. “We’re looking at another couple of weeks. It’s going slowly because of the extent of debris.”

Clay County spans 640 square miles, so cleanup is time-consuming.

“Everybody be patient, we’re getting it all done,” said Chuck Pavlos, director of public works for the Town of Orange Park.

Crowder Gulf, a disaster recovery company that covers much of the southeastern United States and Texas, is picking up the debris. Landfall Inc., is monitoring the process for FEMA. A handful of other contractors are helping with cleanup.

“Debris contractors can be hard to come by,” said Jim Hanson, Orange Park’s town manager. “Up and down the East Coast they’re scrambling to get all their available people. In many cases, they’re working six or seven days a week to try to get everything done.

“Cranes are even harder to come by. They’re reserved for the most urgent situations, like a tree on top of a house.”

Tree debris in Clay County must be stacked – not put in trash bags – and placed curbside, separate from normal household trash pickup. Additionally, the County is picking up construction debris, which also must be stacked separately and not put in bags.

No electronics or hazardous waste will be hauled away. Such items should be taken to Rosemary Hill Solid Waste Management Facility.

Wood-chippers will be brought into Orange Park during the coming weeks, with the hopes that much of the debris can be turned into mulch and shipped to a yet-undecided location. The town doesn’t want to send the chippings to a landfill, because it would cost $40 per ton.

Cleanup in Green Cove Springs began at the river and is moving westward.

Clay County is posting in advance projected areas the contractors will cover, through the County’s website https:// claycountygov.com, its Facebook page http://www.facebook.com/ClayCtyBCC, Emergency Management Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/ClayCtyEm and Twitter account https://twitter.com/ClayCounty_EM.

Information on all websites will be updated as cleanup progresses throughout the county.

Residents can call (904) 284-7703 with questions.