Although Harford County was initially denied a request for a major disaster declaration after Tropical Storm Lee, there is still time for appeals, according to officials.
In order for Harford County to qualify for federal reimbursement of costs spent during natural events such as the named storms Irene or Lee the county must meet a threshold of $800,581.02, Maryland Emergency Management Agency, or MEMA, Public Information Officer Eddie Hopkins said Tuesday.
The threshold is the same for all disasters, Hopkins clarified later, but changes from year to year based on population data.
In the case of Tropical Storm Lee, six counties submitted applications to MEMA for disaster declaration and eligibility for funding. Both Harford and Cecil counties applied, Hopkins said, but out of the two, only Cecil was approved.
Cecil County's threshold to meet is $330,623.16, he wrote in an email.
Even though Harford County's request for public assistance under the disaster declaration for Tropical Storm Lee was originally denied, if the county discovers more damage and costs in the coming weeks they can appeal the original decision and potentially qualify for funding, according to Federal Emergency Management Agency, or FEMA, Public Information Officer Denise Everhart.
Any addition damage estimates since the original report was submitted can be included in a follow-up report in the appeals process, she said.
Harford County has 30 days after the disaster is declared, around Nov. 5, to send in an appeal to get a disaster declaration and be considered eligible for reimbursement, Hopkins added in an email.
Emergency Planning Manager Linda Ploener, of the Harford County Emergency Operations Center, wrote in email that Harford County "definitely met" the minimum threshold for Tropical Storm Lee and she has already submitted updated figures to the state.
FEMA staff conducted a preliminary damage assessment last week to verify the damage estimates, Ploener said, and now the county is waiting to hear back about the appeal.
In addition, Hopkins said, the director of MEMA sent a letter to FEMA a few days ago, appealing the decision to deny Harford County an emergency declaration, which prevents them from requesting reimbursements for costs sustained from preparations for Tropical Storm Lee.
"We are trying to pursue that because some counties did prepare for [Lee], Harford County being one of them," he said.
No counties in Maryland received emergency declaration to cover preparation costs from Tropical Storm Lee, Hopkins said. For Harford County in particular, these costs could include Havre de Grace's evacuation of the Citizens Care and Rehabilitation Center and a variety of low-lying areas due to flooding.
After obtaining disaster declaration, which Cecil County did for Tropical Storm Lee and both counties received for Hurricane Irene, the next step is attending the applicant briefings which FEMA and MEMA are hosting in the coming weeks, Hopkins said.
At these briefings, public organizations like the county government and fire departments can ask FEMA and MEMA representatives questions about the reimbursement process, as well as submit their own reimbursements for costs.
It isn't until after these briefings are conducted and reimbursements are submitted and approved that there will be an estimate of how much funding Harford and Cecil counties will receive from FEMA.
In the event that, in the case of Tropical Storm Lee, Harford County is not eligible for funding, Hopkins also briefly mentioned that the United States Small Business Administration may offer low interest loans to local jurisdictions where storms occurred, or were nearby.