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DRC has received 235 visits
By jessica hardin
BOARDMAN
In speaking with Boardman residents affected by the May 28 flood, representatives from FEMA and the SBA learned that many Mahoning County residents have received incorrect information about flood insurance.
Representatives from the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the Small Business Association have been operating a Disaster Recovery Center since July 12 to assist residents affected by the recent flood.
“Almost everyone [the mitigation adviser] talked to didn’t know that flood insurance was possible,” said FEMA media relations specialist Gerard Hammink. “It isn’t cheap, but it is available.”
Under the National Flood Insurance Program, residents of participating localities can acquire flood insurance. And while Mahoning County participates in the program, “only about five agents in all of Ohio sell it,” said Hammink.
The DRC is sharing this information with residents and encouraging people affected by the flooding to register with FEMA, even those who plan to receive aid from insurance. Registration can provide renters, homeowners and businesses access to grants and low-interest federal loans to assist with recovery from flood damage.
“It’s a good idea to register just because your situation may change, and your plans for recovery may not go the way you thought they were going to go,” said Hammink.
FEMA does not duplicate assistance provided by insurance.
Boardman Township Administrator Jason Loree has heard that residents who get rejected for grants could have luck the second time around. “Everyone is telling me to have folks reapply,” Loree said.
Since opening, the Boardman DRC has served 235 residents. FEMA has approved $362,223 in aid to residents of Mahoning County as of Friday. FEMA said the DRC would be open Monday through Saturday from 8:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. until further notice. Affected residents can register with FEMA until Aug. 19.
The May 28 rain event deluged the township, flooding basements and making multiple roadways impassable. In the months since the flood, governmental meetings have turned vitriolic as residents shared stories of devastating damage to their homes and demanded answers from township trustees.
The ABC Water and Stormwater District recently received its first utility fee collection and hired CT Consultants to create a master watershed plan for the township.