President Approves Major Disaster Declaration For Frederick & Washington Counties

It provides assistance for the two jurisdictions following recent flooding.

 

Washington DC (KM) Federal assistance will be coming to Frederick and Washington Counties following last month’s floods. President Donald Trump has approved Maryland’s request   to issue Major Disaster Declarations for those two jurisdictions..

“Following declarations, we will continue to work with the state to make assistance to available for state and local entities,   and certain eligible non-profits for disaster-related damages from the flooding that was in May 15th through  the 19th,” says Will Powell, Public Information Officer for the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Region Three.

He says the assistance will be in the form of grants to help pay for some of the damage from the high waters.

Both Frederick and Washington Counties are eligible for assistance under two programs: one is the Public Assistance Program, which is for disaster-related work done by state and local governments. “Emergency work, overtime that public officials had; damages to roads, public utilities; that’s what Public Assistance covers,” says Powell.

There are also funds for hazard mitigation. “Hazard mitigation is actually available statewide across Maryland. And that is to prevent future damages,” Powell says. “That could be any form of resiliency actions such as elevating properties, or putting in fill to create flood plains, different things like that.”

Powell says FEMA will be holding briefings in the areas affected by the storms to set the procedures for state and local governments to apply for federal assistance. “At that time, this hasn’t been set.   We will work with the state to set up the meetings with the local and county officials to make sure they’re fully aware of the process and what we need from them in terms of documentation of details,” he says. “And then as  we share that information with them, we’ll be able to establish the time lines will be for completing that process and getting that information into us.”

Meanwhile, Governor Larry Hogan is asking for a Presidential disaster declaration following a severe  storm and flooding that hit the Baltimore area last month, which devastated Ellicott City. This request covers Baltimore City, and Baltimore and Howard Counties.

The storm that hit on May 27th unleashed flooding into Ellicott City, turning its streets in raging rivers.

 

By Kevin McManus