According to updated figures from FEMA, money continues to flow into the area to aid the recovery from the September flooding for residents, businesses and local governments.
A Feb. 10 release from FEMA showed more than $29 million in public assistance money has been received by state, county and local governments and certain non-profit organizations who suffered losses and damages as a result of flooding from Tropical Storm Ivan.
Tyrone Borough has been approved for $9,658.50, according to FEMA public affairs spokesperson, Laura Guzman. She also said Tyrone is under review for another amount but it has not been approved. She said funds are also under review but have not been disbursed for Snyder Township. Guzman could not confirm the amounts which are still under review.
Guzman said new figures are due to be released later this week. However, she was able to offer updated figures ahead of the press release for three local counties affected by the flooding.
As of today, the amount for the Public Assistance Grant Program stands at $322,164.23 for Blair County; $597,402.67 for Huntingdon County and $56,346.47 for Centre County.
According to the FEMA release, the Public Assistance Grant Program is one way federal assistance flows to state and then county and local governments. It provides disaster grant assistance for the repair, replacement or restoration of disaster-damaged, publicly-owned facilities and the facilities of certain non-profit organizations.
FEMA said while the grants are aimed at helping restore funds spent on emergency services, debris removal and infrastructure restoration for the government agencies, the goal is to help a community and its citizens recover from a devastating natural disaster such as last year’s flooding.
The Federal share of assistance is 75 percent of the eligible cost for emergency measures, debris removal and permanent restoration. The state of Pennsylvania has agreed to pay the 25 percent non-Federal share.
In addition to the grant money for governments and certain non-profits, FEMA and the U.S. Small Business Administration has also been involved in providing assistance to individual business owners and residents in 58 counties who registered for aid to recover from the effects of the September tropical storms.
Guzman said that figure now stands at more than $163 million. The FEMA release said the funds disbursed were $58.8 million in housing assistance; $28.4 million in other needs assistance and $74.9 million in SBA loans.
She did not have a breakdown available for funding received by Tyrone or Snyder Township residents and businesses. She explained FEMA does not break down the funding to the local level.
The release on the public assistance money did not include a county by county breakdown for assistance approved for business and residents. However Guzman said to date, residents and businesses in Blair County have been approved for $3,246,411.82 in housing and other needs assistance. Guzman did not have figures for Blair County on SBA loans. She also was unable to provide housing and other needs assistance figures for Huntingdon and Centre counties.
Guzman offered a slightly revised figure for the housing and other needs assistance for the eligible counties in state. She said that figure now stands at $87.9 million. The figure does not include the SBA loans totaling almost $75 million.
