Relief center helps dampened spirits

The center will remain open next week for assistance.
By BOB JACKSON
VINDICATOR STAFF WRITER
YOUNGSTOWN -- Candace Dixon just wanted some answers.
After spending the better part of Saturday afternoon at the Mahoning County South Side Annex, she got them.
"It wasn't a waste of time at all," the Youngstown woman said.
She was one of nearly 40 people who showed up on the first day of business for the flood and tornado disaster relief center for Mahoning County. The center will be open Monday through Saturday, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Representatives of the federal, Ohio and county emergency management agencies, and other government agencies, are there to answer questions from disaster victims about such issues as financial assistance and repairing or rebuilding their homes.
Stan Janicki is with the Ohio Small Business Administration. He was in the center Saturday to help people apply for SBA loans to help recover from disaster damage, if their damage exceeds any financial assistance they might get from the government.
Over the years, Janicki has been at several disaster relief sites like this one. He said Saturday's turnout was exceptional.
"It was very, very high. Especially for the first day," he said. "I was just in the western part of the state for three or four weeks. I saw more people here today than I'd see in three or four days there."
Insurance problems
Lee E. Stevens, a complaint analyst for the Ohio Department of Insurance, said many people are frustrated by the fact that their homeowner's insurance policy does not cover flood damage. Those who don't specifically carry flood insurance are out of luck, he said.
"They've just got to take it as a loss," he said. "That's terrible to say, but it's just a loss."
Stevens said if visitors show him their homeowner's policy, he can tell them whether there is any chance of being able to file a claim.
Dixon said she got valuable information about cleaning up her basement, which was flooded two weeks ago and still has water coming in.
"It's a mess," she said. "There is mold on every wall."
Mitigation specialists told her that the way she'd been going about her cleanup was all wrong. They offered tips for doing it better, and helped her come up with a strategy tailored to her needs.
"Everyone here was very nice," she said, packing up the small stack of papers she'd accumulated during her visit. "No one was patronizing."
Despite her damage, Dixon said she considers herself lucky.
"At least I still have my home," she said. "A lot of people don't."
bjackson@vindy.com