CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Kanawha County and its residents have received a significant amount of FEMA aid in the aftermath of the flood, and also received a reimbursement from the 2015 Yeager Airport hill slide.
The Kanawha County Commission announced at its Thursday night meeting that the county had received a $287,000 reimbursement from the hill slide, and over $12 million from the June 23 flood.
“We’re at over $900,000 on debris removal, over 15,000 tons. FEMA reported to us tonight that 794 individuals have applied for assistance, and FEMA has distributed $12.2 million to those individuals,” said Commissioner Dave Hardy.
Hardy said despite many residents’ frustrations with FEMA, the figure shows that the agency is doing its job.
“We have had no serious issues with FEMA. I think the (Kanawha) school board has been treated by FEMA as well,” he said. “People are tired and frustrated, and there’s always red tape when you deal with a governmental agency. The bottom line is, FEMA has put $12.2 million on in the field in the five weeks since this occurred, and that’s pretty significant.”
Hardy expected that FEMA would make additional reimbursements, most likely by 2017. He said Clendenin is slowly recovering, and most businesses are expected to reopen.
“The one exception being the Dairy Queen, and everyone’s hoping that another place will go in on that site. But overall, I think the mayor (Gary Bledsoe) is optimistic that the businesses will come back to Clendenin,” Hardy said. “I think everybody understands the debris removal phase is almost over, and now we’re into the rebuilding phase.”
State House Speaker Tim Armstead, Bledsoe and FEMA representatives attended Thursday night’s commission meeting.