YORK COUNTY, Pa. — Federal aid could be coming to people in southern York County affected by the early August tornadoes and storms that devastated some areas.
"It's our job to do the best that we can do to help people and, at the moment, what we can do is to bring the federal government here to see if possibly we can get some assistance to people," said Ted Czech, public information officer for the York County Office of Emergency Management.
The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) along with the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency (PEMA) and the York County Office of Emergency Management spent Tuesday assessing the damage left by storms earlier this month to determine if the area is eligible for federal aid in the form of low-interest loans.
"The SBA has a certain threshold they have to meet. If they can meet that then those who suffer damage will be eligible for those low-interest loans," said Czech. "We are going to do all that we can to help the federal government get to that threshold where they can make that offering."
FOX43 spoke with residents in East Hopewell Township who say the cleanup has been taxing and need all the help they can get.
In the meantime, the community is rallying together to get back on their feet.
"Residents of York County are resilient, they're strong," said Czech. "We're just here to do our part as well to help out."
If the county is approved for federal assistance, businesses and homeowners who face damage caused by both tornadoes or straight-line winds are eligible for low-interest loans.
As the assessment continues, officials are also urging residents affected by the storms to continue reporting damage on the York County website.