Columbiana County wins battle over federal help

On Aug. 27 and 28, residents and businesses in Columbiana County suffered an estimated $10 million in damage from flooding, yet that assault by Mother Nature was not included in the disaster declaration signed Sunday by President Bush. The declaration provided federal aid for victims of the Sept. 8-9 flood only. Why?
Absent a definitive explanation from officials of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, we're inclined to chalk it up to bureaucratic bungling.
Regardless of the reason, the decision not to include the August disaster in the presidential declaration opened a floodgate of criticism from Columbiana County officials, led by Congressman Ted Strickland of Lisbon, D-6th, who dashed off a letter dated Sept. 20 to the president urging him to reconsider.
Even Republican Gov. Bob Taft, who had sent a letter to the White House on Sept. 7 detailing the extensive damage to the county from the flooding of Aug. 27 and 28, was surprised by the exclusion. The governor appealed the denial to FEMA.
Displeasure
County commissioners Sean Logan, a Democrat, and Jim Hoppel, a Republican, also expressed their displeasure at the federal government, as did Jay Carter, director of the county's Emergency Management Agency. Logan went so far as to urge residents affected by flooding to call FEMA's toll-free number to schedule an appointment to get federal help.
Carter took it a step further, saying that if a FEMA call-taker refuses to make an appointment, the resident should demand to speak to a supervisor.
"We're shaking the tree from the bottom up," he said.
Well, Tuesday's decision by the federal agency to now include the Aug. 27 and 28 flooding shows that you can fight city hall -- or in this case the White House.
"This is exactly the kind of common-sense decision that should have been made in the first place," said Strickland. He's right when he talks about common sense. The August flooding caused more extensive damage than the September flooding, according to county officials. Carter says his office received 700 reports of damage last month, with the $10 million price, compared with 250 reports this month. No dollar estimate has been established.
Given that a federal disaster declaration can result in funding for housing and unemployment assistance, low-interest loans for individuals and businesses, grants for disaster-related needs and expenses not covered by insurance and other help from Washington, the battle that the people of Columbiana County waged was not only appropriate but necessary.
"The unwillingness of the local community to accept this rejection in face of such overwhelming need was the primary reason for this decision being reversed," the congressman noted. "I congratulate all those who presented such a strong, united front and refused to take 'no' for the final answer."
Our sentiments exactly.