Tag: Federal Emergency Management Agency

West Virginia Gets $5M for Flood Recovery Case Managers

West Virginia officials say the state has been awarded a $5 million federal grant to put case managers in each county hurt by flooding in June and help flood victims with remaining unmet needs.

According to the governor’s office, the Federal Emergency Management Agency funding is for assessing and verifying those needs and outlining steps necessary for recovery.

The casework process will include assessments, coordinating information about resources, developing individual recovery plans and monitoring progress.

Jimmy Gianato, state director of emergency management, says they’ll work to ensure people get needed help and that there’s no duplication of benefits.

More Federal Flood-Relief Aid Coming to W.Va.

West Virginia is one of four states that will receive part of a $500 million dollar federal flood-relief package. However, it’s unclear how much of it will be awarded to the Mountain State.

The bill was part of a compromise budget deal approved by Congress this week to avoid a government shutdown. The U.S. Senate initially stalled the bill on Tuesday because it did not include aid for Flint, Michigan’s lead-contaminated water. Senators compromised, agreeing to revisit funding for the city when they return in December, and on Wednesday both the Senate and House passed the bill. It was then signed by President Barrack Obama.

West Virginia Congressman Evan Jenkins spoke with reporters Thursday afternoon saying the federal bill will award $500 million to Louisiana, West Virginia, Texas and Maryland for flood-recovery efforts.

Jenkins says the U.S. Secretary for Housing and Urban Development will decide how much money each state receives for flood relief based on need. He says it will be important for West Virginia to make the agency aware of what happened here in June.

“We are certainly going to have to be proactive, we are certainly going to have to fight to make sure we get our fair share,” Jenkins said.

He points out; however, this will not be the last request for flood relief aid.

“This is a down payment; this half a billion dollars. I will certainly be going back, as I know Senator Capito will be to add additional funding through the appropriations process.”

Governor Earl Ray Tomblin has requested $310 million for federal community development grants to help struggling coal communities impacted by flooding.

Also on Thursday, Senators Joe Manchin and Shelley Moore Capito announced an additional award of $1.5 million from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) for West Virginia.

The money will be used by the Nicholas County School District to replace contents in facilities destroyed or damaged by the June flood. The county lost three schools in high water and had already been awarded a similar FEMA grant to help rebuild.

W.Va. Legislature Passes Flood Relief Bill

The West Virginia Senate has approved a bill to send $85 million in state aid to counties impacted by June’s flooding.Senators voted 32-0 Monday…

The West Virginia Senate has approved a bill to send $85 million in state aid to counties impacted by June’s flooding.

Senators voted 32-0 Monday completing the Legislature’s work on the bill.

The bill appropriates $21 million from lottery reserves, $9 million from an unappropriated surplus from the previous fiscal year, and $55 million from the state’s Rainy Day Fund.

The $85 million in appropriations account for 25 percent of nearly $340 million in damage caused by the June 23 flood. The Federal Emergency Management Agency will pay the other 75 percent of the cost, but Gov. Tomblin has asked the White House to increase that match to 90/10.

“It was necessary that we put the 25 percent on the table to prove to the federal government that we were in,” Senate President Bill Cole said after the vote. “I am certainly hopeful that we get to the 90/10 match that the governor is working on so that will mean that a lot of this money will come back to the state.”

Putnam County Sen. Chris Walters, who represents the hard-hit communities of Clendenin and Elkview and spent weeks volunteering, said he did not share the praise for FEMA that many others did. Namely because of the thousands impacted by the flood, less than 200 received the maximum amount of aid the agency offers– $33,000.

“We can spend billions of dollars overseas, but when it comes to the federal government being there for our own people, we fell short,” he said. “We still have people living in tents in Kanawha County, all across out state, put out of their homes.”

The state aid bill now goes to Gov. Tomblin for a signature.

Members of the Senate will return to session Tuesday to consider gubernatorial confirmations. The House of Delegates has adjourned sine die. 

Special Session will Focus on Flood Funding

Governor Earl Ray Tomblin will call lawmakers into a special session Sunday evening to consider legislation that will help the state continue to cleanup and recover from June’s historic flooding. 

Gov. Tomblin issued the proclamation Friday convening a special session beginning Sunday evening at 6pm. Lawmakers will only be able to consider two pieces of legislation, according to the session call.

The first bill expires $21 million of surplus funds from the 2016 fiscal year and takes and an additional $55 million from the state’s Rainy Day Fund, placing them in the general revenue account. The bill then appropriates $85 million from general revenue into the governor’s Civil Contingency Fund to pay debts and on-going expenses related to flood damage.

The second bill on the call allows lawmakers to pay both their own and employee salaries and expenses for the length of the special session.

Tomblin said flooding in south-central West Virginia on June 23 resulted in more than $300 million worth of damage to homes, businesses, and public buildings and infrastructure.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency will pay 75 percent of those costs, although Tomblin has asked the federal government to increase the match to 90 percent. 

Federal Aid in W.Va. Tops $111M 60 Days After Flood

More than 8,000 West Virginia households have contacted the Federal Emergency Management Agency for federal assistance since June’s flooding.FEMA…

More than 8,000 West Virginia households have contacted the Federal Emergency Management Agency for federal assistance since June’s flooding.

FEMA officials say 8,732 West Virginians have contacted the agency for help after high waters damaged or destroyed thousands of homes and businesses on June 30. That number is expected to increase, though, because the deadline to apply for assistance does not expire until September 7.

So far, the federal government has awarded $111 million in aid. About $32 million of that was awarded to homeowners and renters whose homes were deemed uninhabitable following the storm.

Another $44 million in low-interest loans through the U.S. Small Business Administration has been awarded to businesses, homeowners and renters to repair, rebuild and replace damaged property and personal items.

It’s been 60 days since flood waters ravaged many central and southeastern communities, but state officials say it could be after Labor Day before they have total damage estimates for the affected areas.

Transportation officials say roads and bridges suffered more than $55 million worth of damage and 5 schools have been closed as a result of the flooding. 

Two Weeks Left to Apply for Federal Disaster Assistance

There are only two weeks left for survivors of June’s devastating flooding to apply for federal grants or loans.

The deadline to apply for disaster assistance with either the Federal Emergency Management Agency or the U.S. Small Business Administration is on Wednesday, August 24.

Survivors have been approved for grants and loans of more than $94 million.

More than $31 million has been approved by FEMA for individual housing assistance, nearly $6 million in other needs, over $4 million in public assistance and more than $24,000 in Disaster Unemployment.

The SBA approved 599 low-interest disaster loans of more than $39 million, and 941 National Flood Insurance Program claims have been filed with more than $12 million in payouts.

On August 13, Disaster Recovery Centers will be operating on new hours – 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday and 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturdays. DRCs are closed on Sundays.

Federal Emergency Management Agency:

  • Website: www.disasterassistance.gov
  • Phone: 1-800-621-3362

Small Business Administration:

  • Website: www.sba.gov/disaster
  • Email: disastercustomerservice@sba.gov
  • Phone: 1-800-659-2955
Exit mobile version