Gov. Tom Wolf announced Wednesday that he has requested a federal disaster declaration for several counties, including Centre County, in response to significant flooding on Oct. 21.
Wolf requested the declarations through the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) for Bradford, Centre, Lycoming and Sullivan counties and through the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) for Lycoming and Centre counties. The overall estimated combined damages in the counties is $33.2 million, exceeding the state’s federally-established threshold of $18.1 million, according to a release from Wolf’s office.
A disaster declaration through FEMA would provide funding to state, local and county governments and eligible non-profits in affected counties. Funds will reimburse costs of response and recovery, such as personnel overtime, damaged infrastructure, search and rescue operations and operating shelters. The Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency tracked those costs.
In Centre County, the Bald Eagle Valley, including Milesburg and Howard, was most significantly affected after receiving up to 10 inches of rain in a two-hour period, causing Spring Creek to overflow its banks. Hundreds of private residences suffered damage, along with infrastructure and utilities. Search and rescue operations were undertaken and a shelter was opened at Bald Eagle Area High School. Centre County declared a disaster emergency in the wake of the flooding.
Applicants would be reimbursed up to 75 percent of the cost of eligible expenses. The declaration requires the approval of the President.
Under the SBA declaration homeowners, renters and businesses with uninsured losses of 40 percent or more of their estimated fair market value would receive low-interest loans. Centre and Lycoming counties met the SBA’s minimum of at least 25 potential applicants with those losses.
“After my trip there right after the flooding, I understood that the devastation in North Central Pennsylvania is more significant and wide-spread than we have seen recently in the commonwealth,’ Wolf said in a statement. ‘These two programs are the best options available to provide financial assistance to both local governments and citizens who have been impacted by this flooding. We’ve worked closely with local, county and state partners on multiple damage assessments, and we are confident that we meet the federal criteria for both declarations.”
