State denies aid to Hamilton County flood victims
The Ohio Emergency Management Agency has denied financial aid for disaster relief for damages caused by the Aug. 28 flood in Hamilton County.
Rainfall during the 100-year storm event was unprecedented in some areas, with as much as 4.4 inches falling over the course of a few hours.
St. Bernard, Norwood and some northern Cincinnati neighborhoods suffered severe flooding.
But in a Nov. 15 letter, the state agency informed Hamilton County that the total damages that qualified for the State Disaster Relief Program weren't enough to qualify for aid.
Damage estimates ended up being $843,828 short based on a per capita threshold. In all, the county qualified for a little more than $2 million and the threshold for assistance was more than $2.8 million, Disaster Recovery Branch Chief Laura Adcock wrote to county officials. Local governments and groups, however, had submitted claims for far more than $2 million.
The Metropolitan Sewer District of Greater Cincinnati, for one, asked for more than $26 million, the bulk of it for its sewer backup program which has been inundated with claims.
The state said the sewer district only qualified for about $1 million for sewers that literally burst from flood waters.
Anything associated with flooded basements can be thrown out, Hamilton County Emergency Management Agency Director Nick Crossley said, because basements are "not considered essential living spaces in a disaster application."
Crossley said the denial "is the final say" on disaster aid from the state or the federal level.
MSD spokesperson Deb Leonard said the utility "is discussing how we want to proceed at this point."
On Wednesday, Hamilton County Commissioner Todd Portune said the county must press the state for aid.
"We cannot lie down without a fight against this decision that further compounds the harm and loss that the people of the county have suffered," Portune said.
Norwood Councilman James Bonsall said it's a shame the damage didn't qualify.
The county determined more than 500 structures were damaged in Norwood and St. Bernard alone. One Norwood resident is still homeless, as a result of the flood three months ago. Bonsall also knows a family that cannot currently afford to replace its destroyed furnace as it waits for reimbursement from MSD.
The storm was so localized, the areas that suffered were hard hit.
Bonsall said he can't help but wonder: Because the state bases its per capita amount on the population of Hamilton County, had the damage been more widespread would it have qualified for assistance?
The county tallied private damage to homes and businesses in order to apply for individual assistance through the Federal Emergency Management Agency, too, Crossley said.
Damage estimates again fell short, Crossley said. Flood victims will have to find other means of paying for damages.
News of the denial was a new blow to a nonprofit called Melodic Connections, which provides low to no cost music therapy for approximately 600 people with special needs.
Four feet of water poured through doors and windows of the building the organization had been renting near the corner of Tennessee Avenue and Reading Road in Norwood.
"We lost everything," said executive director Betsey Nuseibeh. That includes dozens of instruments, sound equipment, teaching materials and specialized items for people with disabilities such as adaptive guitar picks.
"I have all our files drying out in my basement," Nuseibeh said.
Melodic Connections claimed far more in damage – more like $100,000, Nuseibeh said. But the state decided just $1,000 qualified.
Nuseibeh said generosity from the community has made things easier. Fund drives replaced the instruments so that the program has been able to continue in donated spaces around town. Melodic Connections has also found a new permanent home in Silverton, but the building must be renovated before it moves in.
"It’s been a really, really difficult fall for us," Nuseibeh said. "We work primarily with people who thrive on consistency. Some of our students have made the transition and others haven’t."
Below are the damages that the state of Ohio decided it would not cover. Note that some organizations applied for more funds, including MSD, which submitted a request for more than $26 million.
- City of Norwood – $74,552.70
- Cincinnati Recreation Commission – $8,412.44
- City of Cincinnati Stormwater Management – $150,000
- Hamilton County Engineer – $77,250.58
- Melodic Connections – $1,000
- Cincinnati Public Services – $61,200
- City of St. Bernard – $256,841.04
- Greater Cincinnati Metropolitan Sewer District – $1,006,287
- St. Bernard School – $85,000
- Cincinnati Fire Department – $10,000
- Roger Bacon High School – $8,500
- Cincinnati Public Works – $65,000
- Cincinnati Public Schools – $216,604