CLENDENIN, W.Va. — The first of several public meetings planned on FEMA’s Hazard Mitigation Grant Program was held Tuesday night in Clendenin as the three-month mark since the June 23 flood approaches.
Residents came to the meeting with all sorts of different questions on their options under the program.
“My chances of rebuilding here are not good,” said City Recorder David Ross. “There’s heavy damage to my house and limited aid available.”
State Homeland Security and Emergency Management Director Jimmy Gianato said there are a number of factors that affect whether residents can rebuild.
“Where they are in the flood plain, can they comply with local flood plain ordinances,” he said. “We want to try to maintain the community as a whole so we’re working with the county. The county has to put together an application with the state for whatever they decide to do.”
Gianato said the grant is very competitive, and not everyone could be considered.
“There’s a limited amount of money available for this. All the applicants will go into a pool. This is a statewide grant; it’s not just Kanawha or Greenbrier county. Mitigation is statewide so you’re competing with applicants from all over the state.”
For that reason, Lula Jack, who said her home had sustained minimal damage but her sister’s house was destroyed, wasn’t holding her breath for any aid.
“I don’t feel like there’s going to be any help through FEMA. It’s just going to be certain ones. The way I understood it, they’re not going to help everybody,” Jack said.
Heather Gillenwater hadn’t been in her home since the flood, and said she had gotten no clear answers since from any organization.
“We feel like we haven’t gotten any answers, and that we’ve been passed around from one place to the next,” she said. “We filled every form out that you can fill out and we still feel like we don’t know anymore (than we did since) June 23.”
Options under the program include stand-alone elevation of structures, relocation of structures to outside floodplains and full acquisition and demolition of properties.
The public meetings continue Wednesday at 6 p.m. at Elkview Middle School and Thursday at 6 p.m. at Alderson City Hall.
Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin estimated Tuesday that West Virginia had incurred roughly $300 million in flood damage, and would call lawmakers into special session next week.