The Board of Public Works on Wednesday approved $2.5 million in funding for aid for flood-ravaged Ellicott City as Gov. Larry Hogan requested legislative approval of the same amount in additional help.
The money the board released comes from the Department of Housing and Community Development's Small, Minority and Women-Owned Business Account. It can be used for zero- and low-interest loans to help small business and property owners in the historic Howard County seat, where the downtown section was devastated by a flash flood July 30 that killed two people.
The administration also said it would request the approval of the General Assembly's Legislative Policy Committee to transfer an additional $2.5 million from the state's Catastrophic Event Fund to another housing department program for additional aid to Ellicott City.
Howard County Executive Allan H. Kittleman issued a statement welcoming the $5 million in aid, saying that while Ellicott City had made much progress with its recovery, "there is still much more to be done."