VENTURA : County Gets $100,000 for Flood Counseling
Although most of the money has been spent, Ventura County supervisors on Tuesday agreed to accept a $100,000 federal grant to pay for crisis counseling for victims of the January flood.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency agreed to reimburse the county’s costs for the service immediately after the Jan. 10 storms flooded the Ventura and Santa Clara rivers.
“We are really getting very good with disaster applications,” said Randall Feltman, the county mental health director. “We’re on a first-name basis with the FEMA people.”
Feltman was referring to the numerous natural disasters that have struck Ventura County in the past two years, including wildfires, floods and earthquakes.
In a related action Tuesday, supervisors also agreed to spend $145,000 to repair the Fillmore fire station that was heavily damaged during the same floods.
Floodwater and mud caused serious damage to the dorms and offices inside Station No. 27. Without repairs, the level of service the department can provide will suffer, officials said.
The repair costs also will be reimbursed by FEMA, said Peter S. Pedroff, director of the county’s General Services Agency.
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