photo by: Joselyn King

Ohio County Commissioners Don Nickerson, left, and Randy Wharton, center, speak with Solicitor Don Tennant before Tuesday’s commission meeting.

WHEELING — Ohio County Emergency Management Agency Director Lou Vargo said he feels the county most definitely qualifies for federal assistance following recent flooding.

He updated county commissioners Tuesday night on the status of Ohio County receiving a presidential disaster declaration and aid from the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

“The question has been, ‘Where’s FEMA?'” Vargo said. “They are in Washington and Philadelphia waiting for that presidential declaration so they can come in.”

He noted he feels “very confident” that Ohio County qualifies for FEMA assistance in terms of both individual and public property loss. This is because the threshold to obtain FEMA assistance typically is an estimated $1.5 million in property losses, he explained.

Damage assessments locally have been set at $5.6 million, with Valley Grove numbers not yet included, according to Vargo.

Once a disaster declaration is declared, disaster relief centers would be established, he continued. Then, teams of federal officials from the U.S. Small Business Administration and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development would arrive on the scene to take applications for assistance.

Vargo had to step out of Tuesday’s commission meeting to take a call from the West Virginia Homeland Security Secretary Douglas P. Buffington II regarding the status of National Guard troops presently in Ohio County.

“The governor (Patrick Morrisey) is adamant that the guard is here for as long as we need them,” Vargo said. “He doesn’t want to pull them out.”

After meeting with state officials and representatives of both the towns of Triadelphia and Valley Grove, Vargo released some of the troops on Tuesday.

“Tomorrow there will still be 15 soldiers, and a contingent used as a dump/loader team,” he said. “But today they weren’t busy at all… The whole goal is to not have them sitting around if there is work to do. The governor says if there is work, they should get in there.”

The soldiers have families and jobs that would like to have them back, Vargo continued. He will evaluate further today.

“We’re downsizing a bit. But if we need them, they’re coming back,” he said.

Commission President Zach Abraham noted that Morrisey has been “very supportive.”

“Whatever we’ve needed, he has helped out,” he said. “He has been very good for our community.”

U.S. Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., had intended to visit Ohio County earlier this week, but was not able as votes on the budget bill continued in Washington. Vargo said she did call him to check on matters locally, and he reported they talked “for about 20 minutes.”

“In 35 years, I’ve dealt with a lot of flash floods, river floods, chemical incidents … blizzards, but nothing compares to the devastation I’ve seen (recently),” he said.

Sheriff Nelson Croft noted all the various agencies who responded to the flood — both from inside and outside the area.

“This is probably the best cooperation I’ve had in close to 35 years of doing this,” he said. “We appreciate that.”

Solicitor Don Tennant asked Croft if his department was investigating reported fraud related to the flood.

“Yes, there are several investigations,” Croft said. “I have one deputy. That is his full-time job right now.”

Tennant wished him good luck.

“There’s a special place in hell for people who do things like that (prey on flood victims),” Tennant said.