NORRISTOWN >> The sunny March weather has all but erased the recollection of January’s blizzard for some, but Montgomery County’s wallet has a longer memory.
On Thursday, however, Gov. Tom Wolf announced that the state would be releasing federal disaster funds, and Montgomery County, along with its municipalities and non-profit agencies, are eligible to recoup more than $5 million in expenses from the storm.
“The expenses incurred by local governments in responding to this historic snowstorm in many cases wiped out an entire winter budget for snow removal,” Wolf said in a press release. “We appreciate that the federal government recognized the impact of the storm and our need for this type of assistance.”
The county itself compiled $245,773 in overtime, equipment and material costs during its recovery from the Jan. 22 and 23 blizzard that dropped up to 30 inches in some areas. Municipalities, school districts and hospitals submitted expenses that brought the county’s total to $5,269,184.73
“Storms of this intensity are costly to address and it will be very helpful for the county, municipalities, and our partner agencies to be able to recoup some of their expenses,” Montgomery County Commissioners’ Chairman Josh Shapiro said in a press release.
According to a release from the governor’s office, the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency will meet with applicants and review requests for reimbursement over the next several weeks, before the funds will me released.
Adams, Bedford, Berks, Blair, Bucks, Chester, Cumberland, Dauphin, Fayette, Franklin, Fulton, Juniata, Lancaster, Lebanon, Lehigh, Northampton, Perry, Philadelphia, Schuylkill, Somerset, Westmoreland and York counties were also listed as eligible for storm reimbursement.
Officials in Berks and Chester counties were unavailable Thursday to report on how much money they expect to receive from the disaster fund.
