Displaced homeowners are taking stock in storm-drenched Huntington as Fairfax County officials seek out ways to aid an area devastated by the recent summer storms.
The county has set up a temporary center at nearby Thomas A. Edison High School after 160 homes were declared unfit for habitation in the Arlington Terrace area. There are also reports of sewage contamination in the structures.
The community, close to Alexandria, appears to be the hardest hit in Fairfax County by the floods and rainstorms of the past few days. Some residents were briefly sheltered at the high school, where health, housing and public works staff have set up to provide assistance.
Local officials are exploring possibilities of aid from both FEMA and the state, said Fairfax County spokeswoman Merni Fitzgerald. Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine has declared a statewide emergency.
As of Wednesday morning, the American Red Cross had provided emergency sheltering and financial assistance to 30 people in the area, said spokesman Bryan Westbrook.
“That number may have increased since then, and probably has,” he said.
At this point, Fairfax County cannot give out home improvement loan assistance to some residents because of maximum income restrictions, Fitzgerald said.
Reels of information have been posted at www.fairfaxcounty.gov. The county is also offering to pick up discarded materials on Huntington Avenue through July 11.
“We’re being as helpful as we possibly can,” Fitzgerald said.
Fairfax County’s damage report as of Wednesday
» 245 homes
» One business
» One pedestrian trail
