LUZERNE COUNTY, Pa. — Months after flooding devastated parts of Luzerne and Lackawanna Counties last fall, federal assistance has officially been denied.
Lori Leggio, owner of Leggio's Restaurant in Dallas, is still dealing with the devastation left behind by September's flooding.
"Did I think Dallas would ever be flooded? 100-year flood? Never," Leggio said.
Six months ago, Leggio's parking lot was underwater as flooding ripped across parts of the Back Mountain. While the floodwater has receded, the impacts still linger.
"When it rains heavily, I think people are afraid to come to the restaurant thinking. 'Oh, will my car get flooded?' So, it has affected the business."
Leggio says she's spent tens of thousands of dollars getting the business back up and running and is still making repairs.
"This is still out of pocket for six months because the insurance company has still not come through with any dollars."
Help for funding these repairs won't be coming from the federal government either.
FEMA has now rejected an appeal of its decision in December to deny any assistance to Lackawanna, Wyoming, and Luzerne Counties for September's flooding.
"It means we have over half a million dollars in damages that we have to work on finding a way to fix it," said Alan Pugh, the Dallas Township EMA coordinator.
Pugh and other first responders worked to evacuate the Luzerne County Fairgrounds in September when the storms ripped through.
"Our teams were out in the communities assisting with road closures and stranded vehicles. As unfortunate as we know it, some people lost their lives during this. So, it's important we get this fixed properly in the future for everybody," Pugh said.
U.S. Rep. Matt Cartwright says he pushed for the federal government's reconsideration and says he's deeply disappointed in its decision.
"I saw firsthand the destruction and deadly impact these storms had. I know our communities deserve federal assistance. FEMA's methods and formulas for determining aid are clearly flawed and require reevaluation," Cartwright said in a statement.
While federal assistance has been denied, loans through the U.S Small Business Administration are available to anyone affected by the flooding last September.
The SBA loans can provide up to $500,000 for homeowners to replace or repair their primary residences and up to $100,000 for homeowners and renters to replace or repair personal property.
The deadline to apply is this upcoming Monday, March 25th. For more information, click here.