BLUEFIELD, W.Va. — Mercer County residents impacted by the strong winds that came from what was left of Hurricane Helene will now be able to get federal assistance.
President Joe Biden has declared a federal disaster declaration for Mercer County for both public and individual assistance.
“I’m appreciative of President Biden and the team signing it because the folks of Mercer County absolutely need it,” Bluefield City Manager Cecil Marson told MetroNews Tuesday. “I know it was a laborious process. It was a big decision and I’m glad they finally came to the conclusion to give us a declaration.”
Mercer County was turned down at first but Gov. Jim Justice and the state’s congressional delegation appealed the decision.
Marson said it was more difficult to get the declaration because the damage was just to one county.
“It was so isolated in West Virginia. We had to do a lot of work. We had to get a lot of surveys filled out, a lot of door-to-door. It wasn’t just readily apparent,” Marson said.
A visit by MetroNews to Bluefield City Hall in early October told the story:
–98 streets have been impacted by downed trees
–more than half of the trees have been uprooted and are 30-inches in diameter or larger
–the city is managing 10,000 tons of tree debris within its 9 square miles
–more than 21 homes have reported significant structural damage due to fallen trees
Some residents didn’t have power for more than a week.
Marson said FEMA will now come to Mercer County and set up a disaster recovery center.
“Part of this will be going back door-to-door for all of the folks that filled out the survey, to touch base with them again. Then they’ll have their center established where folks can go and get one-on-one case management,” Marson said.
Assistance can include grants for temporary housing and home repairs, low-cost loans to cover uninsured property losses and other programs to help individuals and business owners recover from the effects of the disaster.
Impacted results will also be able to sign-up by phone or online at DisasterAssistance.gov, or by calling 1-800-621-3362. Affected residents can also use the FEMA app.
Marson said the declaration will help get the people of Mercer County.
“It will get them back on their feet and moving forward,” he said.