Fayette, McDowell to receive public FEMA assistance for summer flooding; Kanawha denied

FAYETTE COUNTY, W.Va. (WCHS) — After almost four months of waiting, Smithers Mayor Anne Cavalier said when she received a call about Federal Emergency Management Agency assistance, it was a wave of emotion.

“It really hit me because there are people who really need this help and winter is here," Cavalier said.

Fayette and McDowell counties were both approved to receive public FEMA assistance Tuesday for flooding that occurred this past summer. Public assistance will allow state and local entities and eligible private, nonprofit organizations to be reimbursed for emergency work repairs and replacements.

On Thursday, the Kanawha County Commission announced Kanawha County was denied FEMA assistance from the Aug. 15 flood - the same day neighboring Fayette County experienced high water conditions.

Dr. Jason Means, a public assistance officer with West Virginia Emergency Management, reports McDowell County came in near the state damage threshold of $3 million and surpassed the county threshold.

The damage to Fayette County's sewer system in the Smithers/Cannelton area alone far exceeded the county's threshold and was three times that of guidelines set by the state.

“Several items that Kanawha County brought toward us wouldn’t fit into program guidelines, so we couldn’t count that amount," Means said.

One example Means provided was a project involving the West Virginia Division of Highways. Many state roads are classified as federal aid highways, which means they can get their own emergency relief funding and cannot qualify for FEMA assistance.

Though Fayette County got public assistance and Kanawha did not, there is another tier of FEMA known as individual assistance for homes. Both Fayette and Kanawha were denied individual assistance for homeowners.

Means said many homes affected by high water saw basement and crawl space damage along with minor living area flooding.

“If that occurs, you get an affected or a minor level of damage and you have to have more homes that achieve that level of damage to get that declaration request," Means said. "I know that we were lacking in terms of FEMA’s overall number that they typically see for a declaration request."

West Virginia Emergency Management Director G.E. McCabe announced Thursday the organization is working with the Governor's Office to appeal the denied assistance.

In Fayette County, Cavalier reported Smithers is moving ahead with infrastructure projects. She said sewer lines and the city garage are top priorities.

“We are in the final stages of selecting an engineering firm that is going to help," Cavalier said. "We’ll take the final selection to city council in December and get final approval for that, so by the time FEMA is ready for us we’ll be ready for them.”

Meanwhile, West Virginia Emergency Management said Tuesday’s declaration also extends Hazard Mitigation Grant Program eligibility to all 55 counties. These grants will help with efforts to mitigate future flooding events.