Gov. Mike DeWine asked FEMA and the U.S. Small Business Administration on Thursday, Aug. 20, to begin assessing storm damage in Hamilton County, a move that could reopen the door to federal disaster relief for flood-battered homeowners in Montgomery, Blue Ash and Sycamore Township.
The request breaks from the normal sequence. FEMA and SBA typically wait until the Ohio Emergency Management Agency finishes its own review before starting inspections. DeWine asked the federal agencies to work alongside state teams now because storms have pounded Ohio continuously since Aug. 10, according to WLWT.
"We want our federal partners to proactively work alongside our state teams," DeWine said. "The faster we get this done, the faster we can get help to those who need it."
Hamilton County is one of six Greater Cincinnati-area counties DeWine named for assessment, along with Adams, Brown, Butler, Clermont and Highland.
Why it matters locally
As we reported in late July, more than 1,800 homeowners across Hamilton County, including residents in Montgomery, Blue Ash and Sycamore Township, filed sewer backup reports after the July 17 storm alone. But the county's preliminary damage assessment in early August found only nine properties with major damage, well below the 25-property threshold FEMA requires for Individual Assistance.
That threshold counts only homes where water reached 18 to 24 inches inside the living area or rose above the first electrical outlet, making the home uninhabitable. Basement flooding does not count unless the space is a proven primary living area. Hamilton County EMA Director Nick Crossley identified a second benchmark: roughly $4.2 million in uninsured losses countywide for Public Assistance.
At a Cincinnati City Council committee meeting on Aug. 4, Assistant Cincinnati Fire Chief Matthew Flagler acknowledged the gap between the federal standard and the reality on the ground. "We knew going in that disaster eligibility was unlikely," Flagler told council members. He added that the real impact was "far higher, with thousands of properties affected."
What changed since early August
Storms kept coming. Sycamore Township declared a storm damage emergency on Aug. 11, asking residents with damage to call 513-791-8447 or fill out an online form. Hamilton County EMA lifted an evacuation order near the Whitewater River on the evening of Aug. 14. DeWine cited the unrelenting weather as the reason for bypassing the usual state-first process.
Federal law requires these FEMA and SBA inspections before Ohio can formally request a presidential major disaster declaration, the mechanism that would unlock Individual Assistance grants for homeowners.
What comes next
No timeline has been announced for when FEMA and SBA will complete their joint Preliminary Damage Assessment for Hamilton County. Once that assessment is finished, DeWine could submit a formal declaration request to the president through FEMA's regional office, according to FEMA's disaster declaration process.
Whether the cumulative damage from storms on July 17, Aug. 10, Aug. 11 and beyond now pushes Hamilton County past the 25-property major-damage threshold remains the central question. As of Aug. 20, no FEMA disaster declaration had been issued for Ohio in 2025 or 2026.
