'As long as it takes': Shapiro says help for flood victims available, state will help region rebuild

Yahoo

28-05-2025

GARRETT, Pa. – Debris piles from a May 13 flood were gone Tuesday as Gov. Josh Shapiro toured Garrett Field.
But so was an eight-inch layer of infield playing surface that was swept away by floodwaters, Casselman Valley Youth Baseball coach Jeremy Hoover told him.
"For our (kids), this is their PNC Park," said Hoover, estimating it could cost $30,000 to get it back into playing shape.
Shapiro's response was consistent Tuesday, regardless of whether he was talking with Hoover at Garrett's Little League field, nearby bar owners or local residents in Meyersdale.
Southern Somerset County will continue to have the state's unwavering support, he said, even as efforts from the flood are shifting from cleanup to reconstruction.
"We're going to help you rebuild," Shapiro said. "We want to make sure folks are made whole, and then we're going to see what led to this flooding to see what we can do to mitigate future floods."
More loans available
Shapiro was joined on Tuesday's tour by Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency Director Randy Padfield, DCED Secretary Rick Siger and county officials.
They also visited Dub's Bar and Grill in Garrett and Meyersdale Fire Department, with Shapiro speaking to dozens of local residents and community officials. He spent much of that time listening to residents, asking questions about damage and what it'll take to get their properties livable again.
But he also announced several key support streams now available, including low-interest Small Business Administration loans and, separately, up to $20,000 Disaster Recovery Assistance Program grants, for income-eligible homeowners and renters.
Designated flood-damaged Somerset County "disaster areas" from the May 13 flood are eligible for state help. For federal SBA disaster loans, contiguous counties can also apply for storm damage assistance.
Flood relief help available
The state has unlocked a series of disaster aid loan and grant programs for areas hard-hit by the May 13 flood.
The Small Business Association Disaster Loan Program
What: Provides low-interest loans for homeowners, renters, private non-profits, and businesses located in Somerset County and contiguous counties that sustained qualified damages from flooding.
How: Up to $500,000 for homeowners to replace or repair their primary residences; $100,000 for homeowners and renters to replace or repair personal property; Up to $2 million to enable most businesses and most private non-profits to cover disaster losses not fully covered by insurance.
Deadline: July 21, 2025.
SBA Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL)
Designed for qualified businesses expense losses.
Criteria: sba.gov/funding-programs/disaster-assistance/economic-injury-disaster-loans
Deadline: February 23, 2026.
Disaster Relief Assistance Program
Income-eligible. Up to $20,000 grants can be used to repair their home, cover temporary housing and rental expenses, or replace essential personal property.
Criteria: pa.gov/services/ready/post-disaster-assistance.html
Deadline: Aug 25
Disaster Loan Outreach Center (DLOC)
Where: Meyersdale Fire Station, 202 Main Street, Meyersdale
What: Local residents and business owners can obtain information and application details on disaster loans.
When: through June 9
Hours: Monday through Friday 8 am to 5 pm; Saturday 10 am to 2pm
More info: SBA's Customer Service Center at 1-800-659-2955 (1-800-877-8339 for the deaf and hard-of-hearing), or email [e-mail] and referencing Pennsylvania Disaster Number PA-20019.
Shapiro urged local residents and business owners that were impacted to apply.
That included Dub's Bar and Grill co-owners Don Hostetler and Tammy Miller, who gave Shapiro a tour inside their flood-damaged Garrett bar.
"This was 10 times worse than 1996 (flooding)," Miller said, describing how quickly water rose inside the century-old bar room.
The pair hope to rebuild Dub's.
Shapiro encouraged them to seek Small Business Administration help, noting that interest doesn't start accruing on those loans until a year after they are issued.
"I'm so sorry for what you are going through," Shapiro said, talking with Hostetler and Miller near water-stained walls. 'We're going to do everything we can to help."
'Get this fixed'
Miller also noted much of Pine and Walker streets in Garrett suffered a similar fate.
Hostetler urged Shapiro's office to take a look at Buffalo Creek and its nearby stormwater retention pond, which residents believe failed when levels rose.
"We can rebuild," Miller said. "But when will this happen again?"
MS Shock Therapy owner Mark Smith, whose race car suspension shop was submerged in four feet of water, raised similar concerns about the Casselman River near Mount Davis Road.
Smith lost an entire shop full of state-of-the-art stock car maintenance "stuff," he said, but even those things can be replaced.
"My concern is that someone is going to get hurt ... or killed," Smith told Shapiro, saying it's a miracle no one died May 13.
Shapiro said Smith and Miller raised important questions about issues that might have contributed to the region's flood damage.
"Let us get you some answers," Shapiro said.
Shapiro said a collaborative effort involving the Department of Environmental Protection, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and other partners will look into possible flood control concerns – and what steps that might be possible to mitigate future issues. PennDOT, which developed the retention pond near Buffalo Creek, is also aware of community concerns, Somerset County Emergency Management Director Joel Landis added.
That was encouraging for Miller, who said Garrett residents also were battered by flooding in 1996.
"We can't keep going through this," she said.
Shapiro said it was also possible some residents might need state support relocating from flood zones to avoid future flood risks.
'Important' partnership
State officials under Shapiro – including PEMA – have been working with county officials since the day of the flood to support clean-up and relief efforts.
That included setting up a relief center at Meyersdale's fire station. It will now remain open as a disaster loan assistance center until June 9, Shapiro said.
Commissioners Pamela Tokar-Ickes and Irv Kimmel Jr. – and a number of residents – credited Shapiro for making a personal visit Tuesday to raise awareness about programs that can help rebuild southern Somerset County.
They called state leaders valuable partners in that effort.
State Sen. Patrick Stefano, R-Fayette, also joined Shapiro at Meyersdale's fire station resource center.
Shapiro credited local efforts, as well as state staff from the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency for their ongoing work. But he also recognized he needed get a firsthand view to see if there's anything else his office can do to help.
"I wanted to get the chance to see this damage with my own eyes, to get a better understanding ... what is needed," he said.
Miller told Shapiro she was honored to meet him. The governor said the honor will be his, when he returns one day for Dub's grand-reopening.
"Little towns" are just as important as Pennsylvania's biggest cities when disaster strikes, he said.
"We'll be here as long as it takes to get folks of Somerset back on their feet," he said.