Harrisburg unlikely to qualify for state & federal funds after tornado

HARRISBURG, Pa. (WHTM) – It’s been just under a week since the remains of Hurricane Debby slammed the Midstate, bringing high winds, torrential downpours, and even an EF1 tornado in Harrisburg , which was on the ground for over three miles with peak winds of 105mph.

Because the scope of damage is so large, Harrisburg’s Public Works Department only recently began tree and debris removal on Briarcliff and Bellevue Park.

“We have [a] full force here and we’ve been here for the duration,” Harrisburg Public Works Director Dave West said. “We have the entire Public Works Department.”

Exactly 111 properties were impacted during the storm, which totals about $417,000 in damage, according to Harrisburg City Fire Chief Brian Enterline. In order to qualify for money from the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Administration, damage would need to reach $1.33 million.

It is important to note that the $1.33 million is a threshold set by the Federal Emergency Management Agency, and is the amount of costs and damages that must be incurred within Dauphin County in order for the County to be considered for inclusion in a governor’s request for a federal disaster declaration for Public Assistance.

On top of the county threshold, the commonwealth must reach a threshold of $23.9 million in order for the governor to be able to make the request for the Public Assistance in counties that met their thresholds.

“We have about $150,000 in debris removal,” Enterline said. “These trees [in Bellevue Park] were eight feet in diameter. They were unbelievably large oak trees that were just uprooted and thrown like pencils.”

Harrisburg City officials expect to learn more on the monetary extent of the damage in the coming days.

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