The damage that Ida left behind in Bridgeport is pictured in this file photo after the remnants of Hurricane Ida came through in September 2021. (Credit: Rachel Ravina).
More than $9 million in disaster recovery funds were designated to Montgomery County years after the remnants of Hurricane Ida devastated much of the region, a Montgomery County spokesperson said.
The Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development’s community development block grant, focusing on disaster recovery, will assist the rehabilitation of homes and infrastructure impacted by the September 2021 storm, which produced historic flooding, a tornado, and widespread damage across the county. Funding at the federal level was made available when former President Joe Biden issued an emergency disaster declaration, of which Pennsylvania received more than $38.2 million in disaster recovery monies.
“Climate change is real, so we can anticipate an increased frequency in damaging storms like Ida,” Montgomery County Commissioners’ Chairman Neil Makhija said in a statement. “This funding not only helps residents and communities continue to pick up the pieces, but it also allows us to implement protective measures.”
County leadership aims to take a multi-pronged approach to using the seven-figure grant funds, according to the statement. Around $7.2 million was earmarked for countywide housing rehabilitation and buyout programs and $1.8 million would further “targeted infrastructure and community in several municipalities around the county,” according to a county spokesperson.
“Good government steps up to help those most in need, and that includes our residents whose insurance has not covered necessary home repairs in the aftermath of Hurricane Ida,” Montgomery County Commissioners’ Chairwoman Jamila Winder said in a statement. “These funds will be essential not only for these families, but also for our municipalities as they rebuild thriving public spaces in their communities.”
Of the aforementioned $7.2 million, roughly $3.6 million will assist homeowners with “unmet repair needs not covered by insurance,” while roughly $3.6 million would cover “housing buyouts in high risk areas where rebuilding is neither safe nor sustainable,” per a county spokesperson, who added between 15 and 20 homeowners have been offered compensation.
County officials spotlighted Cheltenham Township, along with Bridgeport and Green Lane boroughs, as slated to receive recovery funding.
Bridgeport will receive $817,563 to build a public park at the intersection of Front and Depot streets. Green Lane is slated to receive more than $715,000 for flood drainage and sewer treatment plant updates, according to county officials. Cheltenham Township was allocated $299,840 for the implementation of a new stormwater network and to better sewer drainage issues, with work areas focusing on Euston Road, which is expected to extend to Chelsea Road, Oak Lane, and Cheltenham Avenue.
“Hurricane Ida was one of the strongest storms in our county’s recent history, and there are still residents and municipalities trying to build back what they lost,” Montgomery County Commissioner Tom DiBello said in a statement. “We’re grateful to pass these funds on to families and communities that are still in need.”
