Gov. Taft tours site of tornado

Taft has declared a state of emergency in Mahoning and Trumbull counties.
By ROGER G. SMITH
CITY HALL REPORTER
YOUNGSTOWN -- The Church of God needs a new place to worship.
Monday's tornado collapsed the East Side church's chimney into the choir area. Rain soaked the sanctuary through the resulting gaping hole in the roof. The structural integrity of the 85-year-old church at Himrod Avenue and Bruce Street is questionable.
Church member Irene Casey-Alston made her appeal to Gov. Bob Taft during his half-hour stop in the city Thursday.
"We need help, governor, we need help," Casey-Alston said.
Taft just covered his eyes with his hands and muttered "Oh boy" as he toured the church.
Taft visited the Church of God and the neighboring Elizabeth Baptist Church, which sit in the heart of the area the tornado powered through. The visit was part of Taft's tour to review storm damage in Northeast Ohio.
Taft told Casey-Alston, who said the church wants to rebuild elsewhere on the East Side, that a low-interest loan might be available to help.
"It's a mess. We can't invest any money in that. It's too old," she said, pointing to the red brick church.
Financial help available
After touring, surveying damage and meeting with residents in Youngstown and Hudson on Thursday concerning the tornado and flooding, Gov. Taft declared a state of emergency in Mahoning, Trumbull, Portage, Summit, Medina and Cuyahoga counties. That will free up state and federal money for homes and businesses to pay for at least some uninsured damages.
It also permits the Ohio Emergency Management Agency to continue coordinating state resources to assist local efforts in preventing further damage caused by severe summer storms. The affected counties had declared emergencies earlier this week. Three days of storms caused extensive damage to homes, businesses, roads and bridges.
Despite the state's bad financial situation, Taft said there are programs in the budget that can help. The state must help those without insurance, he said.
"We will make sure the funding is there," Taft said.
There also may be money to relieve the weather-related financial burden on governments, such as overtime costs, he said.
Taft and Dale Shipley, Ohio Emergency Management Agency director, met with Mahoning, Trumbull, Summit and Portage county officials. Two disaster assessment teams comprised of state and federal emergency management personnel began surveying the affected counties Thursday.
Taft briefly met with Youngstown and Mahoning County officials before heading for Hudson. Two people died in Hudson on Tuesday in rising water in an underground parking garage of a condominium building.
Trumbull damage
Taft visited Youngstown, rather than harder hit, flood-ravaged areas of Trumbull County, mostly because of logistics, his office said.
Taft said he has talked with Trumbull officials who expect damage in the $3 million range.
"It is always a tragedy to lose a life due to a natural disaster. This week, Ohio lost three," Gov. Taft said, referring to the two in Hudson and John Keytack, the 10-year-old boy who drowned Monday in a Warren storm drain. "I once again want to assure all affected Ohioans that I will do everything within my power to help them recover and rebuild as soon as possible," he added.
The federal government will set up a local office to process the damage claims of uninsured or underinsured people within a few weeks of the disaster declaration, said Mayor George M. McKelvey.
Councilman Rufus Hudson, D-2nd, said he already has had at least a dozen people contact him about financial help to repair the damage.
rgsmith@vindy.com