Northampton County has released updated information on damages caused by the severe flash flooding that took place in July.
According to a Monday release, Northampton County Emergency Management Services is working with a variety of federal, state, and local partners to conduct assessments for both individual and public assistance following the July 16 flash flooding event.
These entities include Joint Assessment Teams from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency, and municipal officials.
The county said Joint Assessment Teams visited on Aug. 2, 3, 8 and 9 to make their damage assessments. However, Northampton County Executive Lamont McClure noted that federal assistance is not guaranteed.
As of Aug. 14, 13 total public entities have reported municipal damages stemming from the flash flooding.
- Bangor Borough (infrastructure, roadways)
- County of Northampton (bridges)
- East Bangor Borough (roadways)
- Forks Township (infrastructure, roadways)
- Lower Mount Bethel Township (roadways)
- Nazareth Borough (roadways, park)
- Palmer Township (infrastructure, parks/recreation)
- Pen Argyl Borough (roads)
- Plainfield Township (infrastructure, roadways)
- Stockertown Borough (park, recreational trail)
- Tatamy Borough (municipal park)
- Washington Township (infrastructure, roadways)
- West Easton (roadways)
Seven have enacted disaster declarations due to damages sustained. These are Bangor Borough and Forks, Lower Mount Bethel, Upper Mount Bethel, Palmer, Plainfield, and Washington townships.
Preliminary county-wide damages are estimated to be $10,181,006.57, but the county says some affected municipalities are still working to report estimated costs.
The estimated total includes $3.7 million in damages in Palmer Township, around $1.6 million in Forks Township, over $1 million in Lower Mount Bethel Township, and $400,000 in damages to county bridges.
According to the 2022-2023 Public Assistance County & State Threshold Figures, Northampton County must document at least $1,389,502.44 in accumulative public assistance damages.to qualify for relief aid.
Pennsylvania must document a minimum of at least $23,014,795 for any county or the state to receive a federal disaster declaration.
Additionally, a total of 315 residential units were assessed during the FEMA team visits, across 15 municipalities. The most were in Lower Mount Bethel Township (121), Washington Township (65), and Bangor Borough (59).
Of the properties assessed five were listed as being destroyed, six as inaccessible, and 14 as experiencing major damage.
169 properties were assessed as experiencing minor damage, and 125 had affected damages.
(Original air-date: 8/15/23)
