Fairfax Co. Awaits Federal Disaster Declaration For July Flooding

A disaster declaration allowing residents and businesses to apply for low-interest federal loans could soon be approved, according to Fairfax County's emergency management. The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors received an update on the July 8 event and recovery effort Tuesday.

To qualify for public assistance to be reimbursed for damages, the county would need to have around $4 million in damages, Seamus Mooney, the emergency management coordinator for Fairfax County, told the board. The county has identified over $2 million in its own costs from preliminary assessments. The Virginia Department of Transportation identified $6 million in damage, which includes $4 million at Kirby Road alone.

The county asked for resident and business damage reports after declaring a local emergency to seek disaster aid. As of Monday, there were 277 entries with an estimated $6.8 million in damage in the county's disaster damage database, Mooney said.

Once the federal disaster declaration is approved, the Small Business Administration would allow homeowners, renters, businesses and non-profits to apply for the federal loans. Mooney said the Tysons-Pimmit Regional Library will serve as an application center for these loans once the federal government approves the disaster declaration.

The July 8 flooding event resulted in 2 to 6 inches within hours around the region. Some areas saw accumulations on the higher end, such as 5.2 inches in McLean and 4.93 inches in Vienna. Many areas saw temporary street flooding, while others like Swinks Mill Road and Kirby Road in McLean have continuing long-term damage. Fairfax County Fire and Rescue made 56 swift water rescues between 8:20 a.m. and 11:45 a.m.

Dranesville District Supervisor John Foust said the county needs to do more to invest in infrastructure to protect residents' homes. He also wants to put pressure on VDOT to fix the roads faster. He called the months VDOT estimated to repair Kirby Road and Swinks Mill Road "unacceptable."