In an unexpected and disappointing turn, Scioto County residents affected by the severe winds and flooding from Hurricane Helene’s remnants on September 27 will receive no financial relief. Despite submitting detailed damage assessments to the Ohio Emergency Management Agency (EMA), Scioto County failed to meet the federal damage thresholds required to qualify for disaster aid, according to Scioto EMA Director Larry Mullins.
The storm left a trail of destruction, damaging homes, personal property, and costing residents thousands of dollars. However, FEMA and the Small Business Administration (SBA) denied Individual Assistance (IA) for local victims based on the reported damage levels. “It’s heartbreaking,” Mullins shared. “We spoke with dozens who suffered severe losses, and it’s frustrating we couldn’t secure support for them.”
While individual aid is off the table, Scioto County may still qualify for Public Assistance (PA) to repair public infrastructure, which met the necessary damage threshold. Although this is some relief for local authorities, residents are left on their own to recover financially from the storm’s impact.