A couple weeks after communities in North East Pennsylvania were told they wouldn’t be getting federal money to rebuild following flooding this past summer since their areas were too small to rack up the required dollar amount of damage, word is coming from Harrisburg that Bradford and Susquehanna Counties are not being left high and dry after all.

Kathy Whyte/ WNBF News
Kathy Whyte/ WNBF News
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Governor Tom Wolf’s administration says a request to declare a disaster in Bradford, Susquehanna and four other counties has been approved, clearing the way for low-interest loans.

The information is being made available online at: https://www.media.pa.gov/Pages/PEMA-Details.aspx?newsid=87.

The news comes as the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation continues to report slow progress in repairing and reopening flooded-out roads and bridges in the region.  December 13, PennDOT announced Monkey Run Road in Bradford County had reopened as several other thoroughfares and bridges in Susquehanna and Bradford Counties were still seeing lane closures for repair work.

Up to 400 homes and over a dozen businesses were damaged or destroyed by heavy rain and flooding in August.

A disaster outreach center in Towanda.  Officials will be at the Fairfield Inn by Marriott on the Golden Mile until December 20.  The center is open 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. December 17, 18 and 19 and will close at 4 p.m. December 20.

The deadline to apply for assistance for physical property damage is February 11 and September 11 for economic injury disaster loans.

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