STORMS AFTERMATH Damage tops $5M, affects thousands

Authorities expect the financial costs to meet federal thresholds for aid.
By ROGER G. SMITHand HAROLD GWIN
VINDICATOR STAFF WRITERS
No matter how you count it, the numbers are substantial.
Emergency officials in Mahoning, Trumbull and Mercer counties said Friday that water and wind damage this week exceeds $5 million and has affected several thousand people.
Each agency records different types of numbers using different methods. Ultimately, however, authorities expect the financial costs to meet federal thresholds for offering loans and grants to pay for uninsured or underinsured damage.
"Collectively, we'll probably have the numbers to make this work," said Walt Duzzny, director of the Mahoning County Emergency Management Agency.
Trumbull County sustained a majority of the harm.
Linda Beil, director of that county's Emergency Management Agency, said a preliminary estimate is more than $3 million and climbing.
About 700 homes had up to 8 feet of water, she said. About 500 people in the county were evacuated from their homes because of flooding, she said.
A damage assessment team of county and township workers continues collecting information. On Monday, the counties will meet with federal officials and make their case for aid, Beil said.
"Document, document, document -- that's all we've been doing here. There's a lot of paperwork involved," she said.
The tornado that blew though Youngstown's East Side did in excess of $1 million in damage, mostly to 10 businesses, Duzzny said. About 80 homes sustained minor damage, he said.
Tree damage was the most common type on the East Side, he said.
Flooding has done an estimated $350,000 in additional damage, and that figure likely will rise in the coming days, he said.
At least 700 people have called the county reporting flood damage, Duzzny said.
Assessments of damage to roads and other public areas was being done Friday, he said.
Mercer County
Damage to public facilities are expected to total well over $700,000 in Mercer County.
Jim Thompson, county public safety director, said his office is compiling a listing of damages to public facilities such as roads, bridges and sewer systems. He hopes to secure some federal aid to help pay for repairs.
Of the county's 41 municipalities, 26 reported some damage from the storms. The county had several bridges damaged by heavy water runoff. One of those has an $80,000 repair bill, Thompson said. He estimated the cost countywide at "well over $700,000."
That estimate includes about $100,000 in damages to the Sharon sewage treatment plant.
Thompson was hoping to get representatives of the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency into the county Friday to inspect damage to public property. That information will be relayed to the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
The hope is for some financial aid for repairs and cleanup, he said.
Thompson said the damage estimate doesn't include any loss to private property.
Although many people were affected by the storms, the loss wouldn't be enough to bring in federal aid for private repairs and cleanups, he said.
High winds destroyed two houses in Carlton and a couple of mobile homes pushed off their foundations at New Lebanon by a small tornado. Those were the most serious property damages, he said.
He pointed out that a tornado that destroyed 13 homes and damaged more than 100 others in Clark and South Pymatuning Township in November didn't warrant any federal aid. However, the state provided $140,000 for the municipalities to cover public cleanup costs.
Falling trees damaged a number of houses and vehicles but the biggest property loss was basement flooding.
"And, quite frankly, there's not much assistance out there for basement flooding," Thompson said.
He said there were hundreds of basement flooding reports but that few people had insurance and are stuck with covering their losses themselves.