Headline News: Home & Auto

PR Newswire — June 29, 2009
HARRISBURG, Pa., June 29 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — Governor Edward G.
Rendell today asked President Barack Obama to authorize federal disaster aid that will help families and businesses in Allegheny and Westmoreland counties recover from a series of devastating storms that moved through the region earlier this month.

The Governor made his request after declaring a disaster in the two counties today.

In his letter to President Obama, Governor Rendell asserted that the magnitude of the damage is beyond the response capabilities of the state and affected local governments and that supplementary federal assistance is necessary. If approved, the disaster aid will enable state, county and municipal governments to respond to the damage and help families and businesses recover and rebuild their lives.

“The severe damage from these prolonged, torrential rains affected countless homeowners and businesses,” said Governor Rendell. “The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is doing everything possible to help these individuals and communities recover, but we need the federal government’s help, as well.”

The Governor’s disaster proclamation, which is the official declaration document, authorizes state agencies to use all available resources and personnel, as necessary, to deal with this emergency. The time-consuming bid and contract procedures normally prescribed by law are waived for the duration of the proclamation.

A preliminary damage assessment was conducted in the two counties prior to the Governor submitting the letter requesting federal disaster relief. Governor Rendell’s letter emphasizes that the storm’s estimated costs are expected to grow as assessments continue and repairs and restorations begin.

The state’s Emergency Operations Center in Harrisburg was activated to coordinate response to support the areas affected by the storm systems.
The Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency has maintained communications and continues to work with the affected counties, state, federal and local agencies and non-governmental entities involved in this disaster.

For a high resolution photo of the Governor signing the disaster declaration, visit http://www.pa.gov/portal/server.pt/gateway/PTARGS_0_2_72471_3065_551869_43/http%3B/pubcontent.state.pa.us/publishedcontent/publish/cop_general_government_operations/governor_site/governor_more_information/images/rendell_signs_disaster_dec.jpg

More information on disaster assistance in Pennsylvania is available at www.pema.state.pa.us; click on “Disaster Assistance and Updates” in the left-hand column.

EDITOR’S NOTE: The text of the Governor’s request letter to the President follows:

June 29, 2009

The Honorable Barack Obama

President of the United States

The White House

1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW

Washington, DC 20500

Through:

Mr. Jonathan Sarubbi

Regional Administrator

FEMA Region III

615 Chestnut Street

Philadelphia, PA 19106

Dear Mr. President:

Under the provisions of Section 401 of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act, 42 U.S.C. sections 5121-5206 (”Stafford Act”) and implemented by Title 44 CFR section 206.36, I request that you declare a major disaster for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, due to a series of storms that began on May 28, 2009 and are continuing, which caused the National Weather Service in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania to receive numerous reports of damaging hail, downed power lines and trees, wind damage, severe thunderstorms, funnel and wall clouds, and flash flooding. As a result of these storms that swept across Pennsylvania during that time period many reports of flooding, soil saturation, and mud slides were received by the National Weather Service and county and municipal emergency management agencies.
On June 29, 2009, I issued a disaster proclamation for Allegheny and Westmoreland counties.

The Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency (PEMA) has been monitoring storm developments through periodic updates from the National Weather Service, damage estimates provided to the State Emergency Operations Center by counties, media reports, and reports submitted by the staff located in the PEMA Area offices. This information has been reviewed and substantiated by the staff of the U.S. Small Business Administration, Federal Emergency Management Agency Region III, and the Bureau of Recovery and Mitigation at PEMA.

The period starting May 1 through June 30, 2009, has been listed by the National Weather Service as the fifth wettest season on record and, combined with the topography and geological formations of the Commonwealth, resulted in severe flash flooding in the communities of:
Churchill, Forest Hills, Monroeville, North Versailles, Pitcarin, Pittsburgh, Shaler, Turtle Creek, White Oak, Wilkins Township, Wilkinsburg, Moon Township, Edgewood, and North Braddock in Allegheny County. The municipalities of Export, Greensburg, Hempfield, Jeannette, Manor, Murraysville, North Huntingdon, Penn Borough, Penn Township, Youngwood, Youngstown, Derry, Irwin, Mt. Pleasant, and Unity in Westmoreland County were also affected. I am continuing to receive reports from municipal and county emergency management agencies regarding the effects of this ongoing weather pattern.

The most severe impact of these storms occurred on June 16 and 17 in Allegheny and Westmoreland counties. Reference Enclosure F.

In Allegheny County, urban streets were inundated by flash flooding, vehicles were moved end-over-end, and dumpsters were washed away and crashed into building foundations. The water velocity broke a flood gauge located atop a 13-foot wall on Nine Mile Run where waters topped the wall and moved jersey barriers on the roadway. The storm caused the Thompson Run stream gauge to go from .59 feet to 11.34 feet in a four hour period.

This occurred in one of Allegheny County’s most devastated communities where 55% of the occupants are residents of dwellings with basements that contained washers, dryers, furnaces, electrical boxes, and numerous personal items.

The majority of the Westmoreland County flooding also occurred in urban settings. In addition to many damaged vehicles, there was a significant loss to personal property and structure damage reported.

The June 16-17 event followed a series of storms that began on May 28, 2009, in which homes, businesses, hospitals, and infrastructure sustained damages in York, Chester, Montgomery, and Bucks counties.
Although damage amounts did not meet disaster threshold criteria, the traumatic impact on lives, interruption and loss to businesses, the impact on health care, and damages to municipal and state infrastructure was significant. This devastation placed additional burdens on family and governmental budgets.

In response to the situation, I took appropriate action on June 16, 2009, and directed the execution of the State Emergency Operations Plan and instructed various state agencies to respond to and assist the counties to help their impacted citizens.

On June 17, residents and business owners started calling their local emergency management agencies to report the devastation received to their homes and businesses in Allegheny and Westmoreland counties.

All facets of life in these communities were impacted by the storms as homes and businesses were damaged and destroyed. The affected areas are low income and have a significant number of elderly. Many of the impacted homes received up to 7.5 feet of storm water in their homes during the June 16-17, 2009 event, demonstrating a significant impact from this storm on furnaces, electrical systems and the loss of personal belongings. Much of the damages sustained are either not insured or are underinsured. The extent of additional damages from mold and mildew and related health issues will be a major concern as these storms continue to converge on the area.

In Allegheny County, there were three shelters opened serving more than 60 persons. There are 52 persons housed in hotels. The American Red Cross delivered more than 700 clean-up kits to affected areas and processed casework for 18 families (60 people) who were displaced and unable to return to their homes.

The following services were provided:

    –  Allegheny County Health and Human Services reported caring for
        approximately 30 special needs individuals.
    –  Allegheny County opened a Disaster Service Center that was in
        operation from June 22-25.
    –  The Salvation Army reports expenses of approximately $275,000
        on the June 16-17 response, an amount that exhausted all of the
        organization’s funds. These funds were used to provide direct
        assistance in the form of gift cards from Giant Eagle Food
        stores and Walmart.
    –  The Salvation Army opened a service center in Turtle Creek
        where assistance was provided to nearly 700 families, 1,000
        clean-up kits were distributed and 3,000 meals were served.
    –  The local mental health organization provided crisis
        counseling; the Aging Office provided assistance to senior
        adults with unmet needs; and American Red Cross provided
        interim hotel accommodations.
    –  The volunteer organizations have generously responded to
        community needs to the point of exhausting all available
        resources.

The communities impacted by the storm are generally blue-collar, working class communities who have experienced the pain of economic downsizing. The largest community in the impacted counties is the City of Pittsburgh in Allegheny County, which is listed as a distressed community under Pennsylvania’s Financially Distressed Municipalities Act. This indicates a municipality is in dire fiscal straights.

In Allegheny County, 16.9% of the population is over the age of 65, 80% of the inhabitants of the destroyed, major and minor damaged properties are low income, with only 1% having flood insurance coverage. The unemployment rate in Allegheny County is in excess of six-percent. In Westmoreland County, 78% of the inhabitants of the destroyed, major and minor damaged properties are low income, with only 18.75% having flood insurance; the unemployment rate is in excess of eight-percent.

In Westmoreland County, four shelters were opened serving 92 persons.
Two hospitals were impacted by the storm. Excela Health Westmoreland in the City of Greensburg and Excela Health Jeannette in the City of Jeannette both sustained flood damages that were cleaned by hospital staff without the need for evacuations or patient transfers. A third hospital reported caring for approximately six special needs individuals. In addition, response efforts were provided by Red Cross, the Salvation Army, 117 fire departments, and multiple volunteer faith-based groups.

The unemployment rate in Westmoreland County exceeds eight percent and the economy was further eroded by the storm when a local company, OMNOVA, was forced to layoff 150 employees as a result of the flooding.
The company has reportedly sustained approximately $1,000,000 in uninsured losses. A second major employer, DURABOND, reported approximately $1,000,000 of potentially uninsured loss in addition to another $250,000 in damages to the Turtle Creek Railroad operated by the industry as part of its manufacturing process. Scott Electric reported approximately $250,000 in losses when flood waters ravished their wire warehouse. There was also a carpet business employing 30 individuals that closed because of storm damages. These industrial losses have a domino impact on the economy and tax base at all levels of government.

The emotional and economic impact on survivors is presenting the need for additional crisis counseling services in the flood areas.

There were additional losses sustained by the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation in the June 16-17 storm event in Allegheny, Westmoreland, and Somerset counties. These losses must be incurred by the Commonwealth during a time of decreased revenues and a challenging effort to maintain a balanced budget as required by law. As a result, monies earmarked for other critical infrastructure projects will need to be diverted to cover these emergency expenses.

On June 23, 2009, I requested a joint federal, state, and local survey of the damaged structures in Allegheny and Westmoreland counties. These preliminary assessments were conducted on June 25 and 26.

I have determined that this incident is of such severity and magnitude that effective response is beyond the capabilities of the Commonwealth and the affected local governments and that supplementary federal assistance is necessary. I am specifically requesting Individual Assistance including the Individuals and Household Program (IHP); Other Needs Assistance (ONA); Disaster Unemployment Assistance (DUA); Disaster Legal Assistance (DLA); Crisis Counseling; U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) Disaster Loans; and associated programs to assist the victims of Allegheny and Westmoreland counties and for Hazard Mitigation statewide. I reserve the right to request additional counties to be included in this disaster in the event that additional damages are reported from the storm and also to seek a Public Assistance declaration should damage reports indicate the need.

Preliminary estimates of the types and amount of assistance needed under the Stafford Act are tabulated in Enclosure A. Estimated requirements for assistance from certain federal agencies under other statutory authorities are tabulated in Enclosure C. State agency activities in response to the storms are outlined in Enclosure E.

Our State General Assembly and Congressional delegations are deeply concerned over the tremendous negative economic impact on those residing within these already economically depressed areas and have pledged their support to seek any and all available federal assistance.

The following information is furnished on the nature and amount of State and local resources that have been or will be used to alleviate the conditions of this disaster:

    –  Commonwealth and local service providers will be required to
        address the personal and emotional hardships of victims and
        their families, which is compounded by the fact that many will
        not have the financial resources available to them because of
        the inability to secure loans and funding to repair or rebuild
        their homes and lives. Financial hardships related to the
        disruption to businesses and industries and the cost to
        municipal budgets in a challenging economic environment is
        proving to be overwhelming.
    –  State resources have been, and will continue to be, committed
        to assist local governments in response to the devastation
        experienced by individuals and the business and industrial
        communities. A major disaster declaration would provide
        assistance to restore health and safety, financial recovery,
        and normalcy to all residents and municipalities of the
        impacted area.
    –  Numerous municipal disaster declarations were made by elected
        officials as local Emergency Operations Centers were mobilized
        in the two county areas. On June 16-17, Allegheny County had
        three times the normal call volume in the 9-1-1 center from
        individuals seeking assistance from police, fire, and Emergency
        Medical Service units. On June 17 alone, in a six-hour period
        from 6:00 p.m. until midnight, there were 887 calls for
        assistance due to flooding answered by 125 individual fire
        departments.

The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania has a FEMA approved Hazard Mitigation Plan.

I certify that, for this major disaster, the state and local governments will assume all applicable non-federal shares of costs required by the Stafford Act. Total expenditures are expected to exceed $3,000,000.

I have designated Robert P. French, Director of the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency, as the Commonwealth Coordinating Officer for this request. He will work with the Federal Emergency Management Agency in damage assessments and may provide further information or justification on my behalf.

Sincerely,

Edward G. Rendell

Governor

Enclosures
    CONTACT: Maria A. Finn (PEMA)
             717-651-2009
             Michael Smith
             717-783-1116

SOURCE Pennsylvania Office of the Governor