Brown Visits Findlay and Tours Flood Damage; Receives Updates on Recovery, Mitigation Efforts
Earlier this Month, Region Received an Additional $1.5 Million in Federal Funds for Recovery Efforts Following 2007 Flood
October 19, 2009
FINDLAY, OH – U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) visited Findlay on Monday to review damage from the 2007 flood and receive an update on recovery and flood mitigation efforts. Earlier this month, the region received an additional $1.5 million in funds through a National Emergency Grant (NEG) which Brown helped secure.
“The federal government has not forgotten about Findlay and the horrible damage caused by the 2007 flood,” Brown said. “I’m working to ensure that the City of Findlay and surrounding communities have the resources they need rebuild and prevent future flood damage.”
Hancock County suffered 9 inches of rain in less than 18 hours in Aug. 2007. As a result, several homes were damaged and the city of Findlay suffered severe flooding due to the overflow of the Blanchard River and its tributaries. Following the catastrophe, Brown toured the flooded region with Governor Ted Strickland and federal emergency officials, visiting Findlay, Shelby, and Bucyrus. After that visit, he urged the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to provide federal funds for cleanup and flood mitigation. On Sept. 11, 2007, FEMA declared the following seven counties in Ohio eligible for its Public Assistance Program: Allen, Crawford, Hancock, Hardin, Putnam, Richland, and Wyandot. Through the Ohio Department of Jobs and Family Services (ODJFS), the counties were awarded an initial grant in 2008, which was extended in December of that year.
In Aug. 2008, the city of Findlay was awarded a separate $1.428 million Hazard Mitigation Grant, which provided the city with funds to acquire and remove as many as 16 flood-damaged homes near the Blanchard River. Earlier this month, the seven counties were awarded an additional $1.5 million grant from FEMA to continued recovery and flood mitigation efforts. Additionally, Brown secured funding in the Energy and Water Appropriations Act of 2009 for Blanchard River Watershed Flood Control through the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and has been urging the Corps to expedite the implementation of mitigation efforts.
Brown was joined today by Findlay Mayor Pete Sehnert; Hancock County Commissioners Ed Ingold and Phillip Riegle; Tony Iriti, President of the Northwest Ohio Flood Mitigation Partnership (FMP) and former mayor of Findlay; and other leaders of the Flood Mitigation Partnership.
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