Governor DeWine submitted a request Friday, April 19, for the Small Business Administration to proceed with an independent declaration for Logan County related to the March 14 tornado, county officials report.
If the SBA issues their declaration independently, then Auglaize and Union Counties would also be eligible to apply for those loan funds.
The State Individual Assistance Program will also be opened once the SBA Agency Only declaration is issued. That funding will provide grants directly to individuals who cannot qualify for an SBA loan.
Details on the process will be forthcoming once the programs are available.
In other storm recovery related matters, Logan County Solid Waste and Emergency Management Agency officials conducted their weekly driving tour to identify areas that are ready for debris pickup and also locate areas still in need of cleanup assistance.
Referrals have been made so that trucks can be scheduled for clearing piled up debris.
The Logan County Long Term Recovery Team has begun conducting casework
assessments for individuals and families impacted by the tornado. Referrals and connections for housing assistance are actively being processed as they are known.
The United Way of Logan County continues to meet with clients who have scheduled appointments and has released information on the amount of funding disbursed so far, along with a breakdown of the types of assistance that were provided.
The Indian Lake Central Distribution Center is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday at the old Laker Tire Building, 431 Madison Avenue, Russells Point.
Items such as toiletries, water, food, diapers, batteries, etc. are available. Contact the Center Manager Michelle Grandi at (937) 844-2399 before organizing, collecting or sending any further donations.
The Logan County Community Recovery Planning Committee will meet again at 1:30 p.m. Tuesday, April 23, at the Job and Family Services Training Room, 1 Hunter Place in Bellefontaine.
The committee has established sub-committees for specific areas of concern including: Housing, Business and Economic Recovery, Long Term Recovery, Transportation, Infrastructure, Legal Advocacy and Communications.
The group is preparing for a Community Recovery Open House, scheduled for Thursday, May 2, from 6 to 8 p.m. at Indian Lake High School.
Subcommittees on Housing and Long Term Recovery have already had preliminary meetings and are actively working to provide assistance.