COLUMBUS, Ohio — Thirteen Ohio counties battered by severe storms in March will receive state financial assistance after Governor Mike DeWine authorized emergency relief funding this week, his office announced Wednesday.
The move activates Ohio’s State Disaster Relief Program, or SDRP, for communities across the eastern and central part of the state where storms tore through from March 11 to March 16. The affected counties are Belmont, Carroll, Coshocton, Guernsey, Harrison, Holmes, Knox, Licking, Morrow, Noble, Perry, Tuscarawas and Van Wert.
Unlike federal disaster aid, which requires damage to reach a certain dollar threshold statewide, the SDRP is designed to catch storms that cause serious local damage without triggering a federal declaration. State officials determine eligibility by measuring damage against a per capita cost within each county — a bar the 13 counties cleared following the March storms.
Once the program is activated, local governments and qualifying private nonprofit organizations in the affected counties can seek reimbursement for expenses tied to storm cleanup, including debris removal, emergency protective measures and repairs to damaged public infrastructure.
DeWine’s authorization clears the way for the Ohio Emergency Management Agency to formally request the relief funding from the Ohio Controlling Board, the state panel that must approve the release of the money before it can reach local governments.
It was not immediately clear how much damage the storms caused in total or when reimbursement funds might begin reaching the affected counties. A statement from the governor’s office also did not state why it took so long to authorize the funding.
