Bucks Residents Affected By July 12 Flooding Could Get Grants Up To $5K In New Program

BUCKS COUNTY, PA — Several state senators and representatives have secured funding from the commonwealth to create the Neighborhood Flood Assistance Program.

The program responds to the historic flash flooding in Lower Bucks County on July 12, when more than 10 inches of rain in several towns led to devastating damage, displacement, and the loss of property and homes. While Gov. Tom Wolf was able to make Small Business Administration loans available to affected residents, grant funding without expectation of repayment was not available from emergency management agencies.

"My colleagues and I agreed that an 'I’m sorry, your problem is not big enough' wasn’t good enough for us and certainly was not good enough for the families that we represent," said State Representative Kathleen "KC" Tomlinson.

Together with State Senator Robert “Tommy” Tomlinson and State Representatives Tina Davis and John Galloway, she worked to secure aid funding from the state.

The Bucks County Redevelopment Authority is the designated administrator of the funds, and will implement the assistance program.

Grants of up to $5,000 are available to affected residents who meet the eligibility criteria. Priority will be given, according to the program website, to applicants whose primary residence was deemed uninhabitable as a result of the flooding event.

Consideration will also be given to qualified applicants that are residents of Bensalem, Bristol Township, or Bristol Borough — including, but not limited to, addresses with a zip code of 19007, 19020 or 19021.

The eligibility criteria for residents considering an application is as follows:

• Eligible applicants are homeowners or tenants whose primary residence is located in Bucks County and was damaged by the flooding event of July 12.
• Only one application per primary residence may be submitted for consideration.
• Applicants must be a U.S. Citizen of lawful permanent resident or the United States.
• Final determination for eligibility is at the sole discretion of the Redevelopment Authority.

If funding is approved, it will be sent in the form of a paper check to the applicant's primary mailing address.

Applications are available online, as is information about obtaining a paper application.

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