Tuesday, July 12, 2005
The May 2004 storms hit Mahoning County especially hard.
The federal government has provided almost $6.7 million in disaster recovery funding to the Mahoning Valley in the aftermath of flooding last year, according to the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
Residents in Mahoning and Columbiana counties received about $3.26 million in funding to repair damage resulting from floods in May and June 2004.
The May storms hit Mahoning County particularly hard, especially in the suburbs, where roads and parks were closed from flooding and fallen trees. Local governments also heard numerous complaints from residents about flooded basements and erosion.
Widespread damage
Mahoning, Columbiana and Trumbull counties were also the recipients of about $3.42 million in aid for flood damage taking place from Aug. 27 through Sept. 27 of last year, as a result of heavy rains in the wake of Hurricane Ivan.
In Columbiana County alone, FEMA received about 700 reports of damage to private property, some of which included property that was damaged in both August and September. The two floods caused an estimated $10 million in damage there, including about $450,000 to the Salem Public Library.
A total of 21 counties were declared eligible for this aid in a Sept. 19 presidential declaration.
About $19.2 million in FEMA individual and household grants was approved for Ohioans to assist with the costs of severe storms and flooding in May 2004, and the federal government approved an additional $23.6 million to assist homeowners and businesses with recovery from the August and September floods.
FEMA has also approved $9.9 million in grants for Ohio for damage from winter storms last December and this February, but Mahoning, Columbiana and Trumbull were not among the 32 counties declared eligible for aid by President Bush after those storms.
The breakdown of aid for Mahoning, Trumbull and Columbiana counties as a result of the two disaster declarations are as follows:
U May 18, 2004, to July 21, 2004.
Columbiana County: 194 of 327 applications approved; $288,808.
Mahoning County: 2,092 of 3,651; $2.91 million.
U Aug. 27, 2004, to Sept. 27, 2004.
Columbiana County: 379 of 548 applications approved; $1.4 million.
Mahoning County: 753 of 1164; $1.22 million.
Trumbull County: 356 of 547; $804,932.