1200 Hours, Thursday, Nov. 19, 2009: Sussex County reminds property owners affected by the recent nor’easter to report any damage to their homes, businesses, automobiles or other property, and to do it soon, as officials will use that information in asking for federal dollars to help clean up in the storm’s aftermath.

Since Monday, Nov. 16, nearly 100 property owners have made storm damage reports to County officials. Most of those reports have come from residential property owners scattered throughout the county.

“The public’s response has been great, but our biggest concern is that while we’re getting plenty of residential damage reports, we’re seeing very little commercial damage reports,” said Joseph L. Thomas, director of the Sussex County Emergency Operations Center. “A perfect example is three or four businesses in downtown Milton suffered some flooding damage, but we only learned of that yesterday and only because one business reported it.

“We know there is other damage to commercial properties out there,” Mr. Thomas said. “We really need to hear from those owners, and we need to hear from them right away so that we have the ‘critical mass’ necessary for federal support.”

The Delaware Emergency Management Agency is now in the process of compiling damage reports to apply for federal assistance. Without enough damage, though, Sussex County and Delaware could fall short in earning a disaster declaration, which would pave the way for individual assistance, such as low-interest loans, for homeowners and businesses.

To report damage, please call the Sussex County EOC at (302) 856-7366 between 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. Property owners and residents should be prepared to speak in detail about the type of damage suffered, what caused it, the location, and whether they have insurance. Damage must be as a result of the storm between Wednesday, Nov. 11, and Sunday, Nov. 15.

The Sussex County EOC also reminds residents and property owners with photographs of flooding or other storm damage to share those pictures with officials. Visit sussexcountyde.gov to upload storm images.

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Media calls should be directed to Sussex County Chief of Public Information Chip Guy at (302) 854-5000.