Doreen Dawson has spent nearly $20,000 repairing her garage and basement following the June 30 flooding caused by more than 5 inches of rain falling on the Erie area in a few hours. "I'm so worried about this money thing," said Dawson, who lives in the Belle Valley area of Millcreek Township. "I didn't know how much this was going to cost."She learned Friday that the Federal Emergency Management Agency won't be helping her recoup the money she's spent to repair her home.
FEMA informed Gov. Ed Rendell in a three-paragraph letter that the agency had rejected his request for federal aid for victims of flooding in Erie, Allegheny and Westmoreland counties. FEMA also said it would not assist the city of Erie, Millcreek or other municipalities in paying for infrastructure repairs. "Federal assistance is not necessary or appropriate," FEMA Administrator W. Craig Fugate wrote to Rendell in a letter dated Thursday. "Therefore, I must inform you that your appeal for a major disaster declaration is denied."
Local and state officials voiced frustration both at FEMA's decision and at the lack of an explanation for it. "The letter does not spell out why we didn't get it, and we were offered no further explanation," said Ruth Miller, a spokeswoman for the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency in Harrisburg. "We would like to have more detailed answers as well."