Board to give $40,000 to Red Cross for flood victims

The Prince William Board of County Supervisors voted unanimously Tuesday evening to transfer $40,000 to the Prince William Chapter of the American Red Cross for victims left homeless from Tropical Storm Lee last Thursday.

The money comes from a proffer fund dedicated for affordable housing that has been built up from developers’ contributions over the years.

According to Red Cross spokeswoman Deborah Campbell, the manner in which the funds will be allocated is still being discussed as of Wednesday afternoon.

Those still staying at the Dale City Recreation Center – between 35 and 40 families – have until 5 p.m. Friday before they have to leave the Red Cross-administered facility. Many of those families came to speak to the board Tuesday, relaying their plight.

Prince William County doesn’t have Section 8 housing vouchers at this time. And Prince William Board of County Supervisors Chairman Corey A. Stewart reiterated to the crowd at Tuesday’s meeting that the county could not provide permanent housing to the victims of the storm.

However, county housing officials are providing lists of rental options and working with local nonprofits on possible living arrangements for the victims.

There is also a fund created by Prince William County Schools for monetary donations. Please visit pwcs.edu for more information on the fund.

John Gray, who is running for chairman of the board, criticized Stewart for his statements regarding the Friday deadline. As chairman, Gray said he would have negotiated with the rec center for a longer stay time and reimbursed the center for any lost revenue.

“Does he honestly think they’re going to find housing in a week,” Gray said. “It’s a callous, inexcusable response on his part.”

County spokesman Jason Grant said it comes down to a cost and resource issue for both the county and Red Cross, and that the decision to cut off the shelter on Friday wasn’t arbitrary. Grant said there is a dollar amount per individual, per day estimated by the Red Cross, along with county resources being diverted from other departments in order to assist the flood victims.

“We don’t have the resources [past Friday],” Grant said.

Grant also said that the Red Cross has certain criteria for a facility to be used as a shelter and that the Rec Center was one of the few pre-approved sites – aside from schools – that was eligible.

In an email Wednesday, Park Authority spokeswoman Dianne Cabot stated the Authority “is monitoring any additional costs that are incurred while we provide a cleanly, safe environment for this many people in an extended situation.”

An estimated 150 to 175 individuals from the Marumsco and Holly Acres mobile home parks were left homeless when more than 10 inches hit the U.S. 1 corridor in Woodbridge last Thursday. The heavy rainfall caused massive damage to the parks with 66 out of 108 units in the Holly Acres declared unsafe to inhabit.

These homes will most likely be removed permanently because of the severity of the damage and the fact that they are located on a federally designated floodway, said Grant.

The maintenance responsibility for the land falls on the landowner of the mobile home park, said Grant. Whether the landowner will incur the entire cost of the trailer removal is a legal issue yet to be decided, said Grant.

The county is seeking federal assistance, as well.

FEMA officials are scheduled to examine the extent of the damage from the storm this week to determine what funding could be available. The threshold for FEMA to assist in a disaster is $1.3 million in uninsured damage for the entire county and $10.4 million damage incurred by the state.

Other FEMA criteria include damage to public infrastructure, assistance available from other sources and frequency of disaster events over the most recent time period.

Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell must request federal assistance before FEMA will assist with the disaster efforts.

If the Small Business Association declares the situation an emergency, it can offer low interest loans to the 15 businesses along the U.S. 1 corridor ravaged by Tropical Storm Lee, as well.

Staff writer Kipp Hanley can be reached at 703-530-3904.