MERCER COUNTY Officials will see if flooding merits state or federal aid

MERCER, Pa. -- Mercer County authorities are compiling data to determine if there was sufficient flooding damage from the remnants of Hurricane Frances to warrant state or federal cleanup assistance.
Frank Jannetti, director of the county's Department of Public Safety, said every municipality that may have suffered loss in storms Wednesday and Thursday has been asked to submit loss estimates to his agency.
Those figures will be complied and sent to the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency to determine if the loss is big enough to secure state and/or federal aid, he said.
Extensive flooding
Some areas of the county, particularly Greenville, Greene Township and Jamestown in northern Mercer County, had extensive flooding.
Many roads were temporarily closed throughout the county, and Greenville declared an emergency as the borough worked to deal with the rising water.
Although there was much flooding, the actual loss in terms of dollars may not be sufficient to warrant government assistance, Jannetti said.
He said about 30 Jamestown-area residents living along the Shenango River had to be evacuated from their homes when the river overflowed its banks. They were housed in a temporary shelter at the Jamestown Firemen's Club, he said.
Both Shenango River Lake and Pymatuning Reservoir reported flooding, with water rising sharply as about 6 inches of rain fell in the county. Some public facilities were closed at the lakes.