County to seek FEMA funding for recovery from recent flooding

Oct. 22--In the three weeks since the Sept. 29 flooding in Frederick County, when 3 feet of water filled Bob Dinsmore's basement, he has erased virtually all evidence of damage -- the floors are dried, the damaged appliances replaced and the unsalvageable antiques and heirlooms thrown out.

But the cost, which Dinsmore estimated at $15,000 to $20,000 in damages, hasn't gone anywhere. And once he realized insurance wouldn't cover flooding in his Carroll Parkway home, the prospects of financial assistance seemed grim for the city resident.

"I kind of lost hope," he said.

Then, he received an email through his job at the TransIT Services of Frederick County, alerting him that the Frederick County Division of Emergency Management was collecting information from area property owners with property damage from the Sept. 29 through Oct. 5. storms. That information, which the county began gathering Friday, will be submitted to the Maryland Emergency Management Agency, which will in turn pass on the documentation to the Federal Emergency Management Agency in the hopes of qualifying for grant funding for individual property owners through its disaster relief assistance program.

Dinsmore is one of 16 county property owners, 15 residents and one business owner, to submit a claim through the online assessment as of Wednesday, according to Seamus Mooney, director of the Department of Emergency Preparedness within the county emergency management division. Mooney said he plans to begin forwarding those claims to the state Friday, and will continue to do so as more submissions are filed.

In order to qualify for grant funding or loans through FEMA's individual assistance program, which helps homeowners, businesses and renters pay for disaster-related expenses not covered by insurance, the county must collect documentation on 25 properties that were completely destroyed or suffered major damage from the storm, according to Mooney.

FEMA staff will determine what constitutes major damage through a review of the filed assessments, on site inspections, property values and if the damage makes the home or business uninhabitable, Mooney said.

In preliminary review of claims submitted to the county so far, Mooney said he thought five could meet this criteria. Reaching 25 properties would be "a bit of a long shot," he said, but he has continued to advertise the assessment service through social media, countywide alerts and in-person visits to hard hit properties.

"I want to collect as much as possible because I'm on the side of trying to help our residents recover," he said.

The city of Frederick has also begun collecting claims from city residents through its safety department and passing the information on to the county collection, according to Alysia Portner a safety assistant.

Portner wrote in an email response that it was premature to estimate the storm impact on the city, but all 16 claims filed with the county came from city properties, according to Mooney.

City officials have also taken up the cause in the hopes of securing FEMA funding for local property owners. Alderwoman Donna Kuzemchak said she advocated for the city to begin taking property owners' claims immediately after the storm.

"You have to prove an emergency before you can get emergency funding," Kuzemchak said.

In an email, Mayor Randy McClement also pledged his commitment to working with emergency management at the county, state and national levels to seek reimbursement.

If the information submitted through these joint collection efforts meets the 25-property threshold, or falls close, FEMA will send inspectors out to the properties of those who submitted claims for further inspection. The agency will then determine if county claims meet its criteria for public assistance, which will then trigger an application process for individual property owners to apply for loan funding, Mooney said.

With a countywide eligibility for public assistance, even property owners whose claims don't amount to complete property loss or major damage can receive some assistance, Mooney said.

"It's a win for everybody," he said.

Dinsmore agreed, noting that many of his neighbors were also affected by the September flooding.

"Everybody on the 400th block of Carroll Parkway suffered some damage," he said. "I just won the award for the most."

It's a dubious honor at best, he said, but the possibility of FEMA assistance is cause for optimism.

"If not, the credit card companies are going to love me," he said.

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