Montgomery County will receive federal disaster assistance to help it recover from heavy rains and flooding earlier this summer, Gov. Robert Ehrlich announced Thursday.
It is unclear how much the county will receive. The details still are being worked out as Federal Emergency Management Agency and Maryland Emergency Management Agency officials, along with county officials, continue to assess damages to infrastructure, MEMA Director John Droneburg said.
So far, the damage estimate hovers at about $3 million, Droneburg said, but that figure is expected to increase.
“Actually, it will be some considerable time, in the form of several weeks or several months, before there’s a final dollar figure,” Droneburg said.
As much as 10 inches of rain fell on parts of Montgomery County earlier this month, causing widespread flooding in parts of the county. More than 2,000 Rockville residents were evacuated when an earthen dam at Lake Needwood began leaking. State officials have ordered the lake’s water level lowered so the damn can be repaired.
Flooding in the county is also believed to be responsible for the death of 22-year-old Silver Spring resident Jeremy Weschler, whose car was recovered from a flooded area following heavy rains June 26. His body was recovered in a creek bed in Prince George’s County on July 4.
Montgomery County Department of Homeland Security Director Gordon Aoyagi did not return a phone call Thursday for comment.
Ehrlich appealed to the federal government for help earlier this month on behalf of five counties that were widely damaged during the storms. Disaster declarations have already been received for Caroline and Dorchester counties on the Eastern Shore. He has also asked for assistance for Cecil and Harford counties.
In a statement released Thursday, Ehrlich said the federal government had “done the right thing in extending the declaration to Montgomery County.”
“This declaration is an important step in our efforts to rebuild property and infrastructure in the county in partnership with local government,” the governor said.
