Federal aid declaration confuses county officials

Trumbull County EMA has received 394 reports of storm-related flooding.
By D.A. WILKINSON
and STEVE SIFF
VINDICATOR STAFF WRITERS
Officials in Lisbon are puzzled that a disaster declaration provided federal aid to Columbiana County residents and businesses flooded Sept. 8-9 but not those flooded Aug. 27-28.
Among the problems is that there were more damage reports from the first round of flooding, and some places were flooded both times.
President Bush signed the declaration Sunday that covered only the September flooding.
The declaration makes homeowners eligible for a range of programs targeted not only toward helping with home repairs but also with unemployment assistance, legal bills, crisis counseling and small business loans.
On Monday, U.S. Rep. Ted Strickland of Lisbon, D-6th, asked the president to reconsider.
"It makes no sense to exclude damages from earlier storms in [Sunday's] federal declaration," Strickland said in a statement.
In his letter to Bush, the congressman said he was concerned that county residents "are recovering from the damage of two storms but only have aid for the recovery of one."
Strickland noted that Gov. Bob Taft had asked Bush to provide aid after the August flooding.
Commissioner Jim Hoppel said commissioners were checking to see if the August flooding had inadvertently been dropped from the declaration.
Urged to call
Commissioners and Jay Carter, director of the county's Emergency Management Agency, said August flood victims should apply anyway.
The county officials said that advice came from the Ohio EMA.
Commissioner Sean Logan said all those affected by the flooding should call (800) 621-FEMA to schedule an appointment to get federal help. Trumbull County also was included in Bush's declaration, and those flood victims also should call that number.
The state advised that if FEMA refuses to take appointments for the August flooding, people should demand to speak to a supervisor, Carter said.
"We're shaking the tree from the bottom up," Carter said.
Applications for federal assistance will be taken at the Columbiana County Career Center, though the dates have not been set, Logan said.
Carter said his agency has received 700 reports from August damage with an estimate of $10 million.
His agency has an additional 250 reports of damage from the September flooding. No dollar estimate of damage was available.
The number of homes and businesses that suffered losses in both also wasn't available.
Carter said those numbers only reflected damage to private property, and not public property, which was also heavily damaged by both floods.
Carter added that county officials will continue to look into why the August flooding isn't covered.
The county asked for and received federal help after flooding earlier this year and in 2003. Carter said the evaluations needed to seek aid after the August and September flooding were done properly.
Trumbull County
Meanwhile, in Trumbull County, FEMA officials toured the area at the end of last week to assess flooding damage from heavy rains that swept through the area Sept. 8-9.
Full estimates are not yet available, said Linda Beil, the county's EMA director. Most of the damage to homes comes in the form of flooded basements, which can't easily be viewed from the streets.
"That is what is hard about storm damage," she said. "Most of the loss was on the inside."
In Trumbull, about 40 volunteers went door to door to asses damage on the weekend after the flooding to strengthen the county's case for a disaster declaration. Volunteers also helped two residents clean out basements, Beil added.
In addition to the federal money, funding also will be available through the county office of jobs and family services, Trumbull officials said.
Through Monday, the Trumbull EMA fielded 394 reports of storm-related flooding, including seven in which the waters destroyed a basement wall.
Areas reporting the most damage were Cortland, with 143 calls; Warren, 63; Champion, 46; Masury, 39; and Liberty, 21.
County road damage includes a culvert in Johnston Township and three culverts and a road in Kinsman.
Other counties covered under the declaration are Belmont, Carroll, Guernsey, Harrison, Jefferson, Monroe, Morgan, Muskingum, Noble, Perry, Stark, Tuscarawas and Washington.