DISASTER AID Flood damage in county hits $11.5 million

Damage estimates are still being compiled.
By D.A. WILKINSON
VINDICATOR SALEM BUREAU
SALEM -- Recent flood damage to public and private property in Columbiana County has reached $11.5 million.
That number is expected to grow, Mary Smith, deputy director of the Columbiana County Emergency Management Agency, said Wednesday.
The county, state and federal emergency management agencies are still compiling numbers for flood damage after rain on Aug. 27, Sept. 8 and Sept. 17.
Businesses and individuals still have through this week to apply for disaster assistance, and some subdivisions still have not finished their damage estimates.
Once the estimates are complete, they will be presented to the federal government, which can ask for a disaster declaration from President Bush. That would make the county eligible for disaster aid to public structures.
Bush signed a declaration making individuals and businesses eligible for assistance after funding was initially turned down for the August flooding.
Damage amounts
The largest amount of damage occurred in August. There was $5.8 million in damage to public property and $3.5 million in damage to homes and businesses.
After rain Sept. 8, public damage was $777,000, and private damage was $1.14 million.
After flooding on Sept. 17, public damage was $54,000. No figure is available yet for private damage.
The county was also made eligible for help for flooding and high winds from May 18-June 21 of this year and tornadoes and flooding July 21-Aug. 25 in 2003.
Figures on public damage for those declarations were not immediately available from the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
There have been about 700 private damage reports in the most recent flooding.
Assistance
After the 2003 event, 819 people sought help. Outright assistance was approved for 439 people for $781,420. Some 45 people got low-cost home or personal property loans from the Small Business Administration for $497,600, and 10 businesses got similar loans totaling $623,300.
After the flooding in May and June of this year, 327 individuals registered. Assistance was given to 194 people at a cost of $286,500. SBA loans were made to 27 people, for $411,000, and seven businesses got loans for $203,800.
wilkinson@vindy.com