Capital Gazette Front Page Story Reports on AAEDC Activating VOLT Fund to Assist Flooded Businesses in Annapolis

January 13, 2024

The Capital Gazette published a front-page story on AAEDC activating the VOLT Disaster Recovery Relief Program to assist Annapolis businesses that incurred damage from the coastal flooding experienced on January 9 and 10, 2024:

Annapolis Mayor Gavin Buckley announces state of emergency as leaders release grant funds to businesses affected by flooding

The article reported that businesses and nonprofits are eligible for up to $50,000 in VOLT funds, which come from state slot machine revenue, to cover costs associated with damage to property, equipment, inventory and daily revenue losses from the flooding.

It also noted that, in response to the slow distribution of emergency funds following a tornado that hit Edgewater and West Annapolis in September 2021, state Sen. Sarah Elfreth and Del. Dana Jones sponsored legislation allowing the funds to be disbursed if a local state of emergency is declared and the state’s Department of Commerce signs off on it.

And it included the following commentary from AAEDC President and CEO Amy Gowan:

“When Mayor Buckley called me yesterday and when Senator Elfreth reached out and said, ‘Can you deploy some grant funding that is available,’ it was a resounding ‘Yes’ from both myself and County Executive Stuart Pittman.”

 

Read the full article here:

Starting Tuesday, Annapolis businesses that incurred damage from the low-pressure weather system that brought coastal flooding to the city this week  will be able to apply for emergency grants to cover recovery costs. .

Mayor Gavin Buckley decSarah lared a state of emergency Friday at a news conference near the Alex Haley memorial statue, allowing funds from the VOLT Disaster Recovery Relief Program to be released. The state of emergency lasts for 30 days. Businesses and nonprofits are eligible for up to $50,000 in VOLT funds, which come from state slot machine revenue and are placed into the state’s Small, Minority and Women-Owned business account. The Anne Arundel Economic Development Corporation will disburse the funds.

Overnight on Wednesday, flood waters reached 5.1 feet above normal levels, making the storm the third biggest flooding event in the city’s history. The flooding caused significant damage to businesses along Dock Street.

“Annapolis is one of the most beautiful waterfront cities in America. This water that brings so many people here is one of our greatest assets. one of our biggest economic drivers, but also, it’s one of our greatest threats,” Buckley said at the news conference. “Our businesses are used to this. They have a strategy, but when you get the third worst flooding event in history … we have to find ways to help them.”

In 2022, state Sen. Sarah Elfreth and Del. Dana Jones, both Democrats representing Annapolis, sponsored legislation   allowing these funds to be disbursed if a local state of emergency is declared and the state’s Department of Commerce signs off on it. The bill was a response to the slow distribution of emergency funds following a tornado that hit Edgewater and West Annapolis in September 2021.

The grant money will cover costs associated with damage to property, equipment, inventory and daily revenue losses from the flooding. These expenses are limited to those not covered by the business’ insurance, said Amy Gowan, CEO and president of the Economic Development Corporation for Anne Arundel County.

“When Mayor Buckley called me yesterday and when Senator Elfreth reached out and said, ‘Can you deploy some grant funding that is available,’ it was a resounding ‘Yes’ from both myself and County Executive Stuart Pittman,” she said.

Applications for the relief funds open Tuesday. Information on what is needed to complete the application is located on the Economic Development Corporation for Anne Arundel County’s website.

More wind, rain and possible flooding are in the forecast for Annapolis Friday night and Saturday. The National Weather Service is calling for up to three-quarters of an inch of rain and a possible thunderstorm between 10 p.m. Friday and 4 a.m. Saturday.

The weather service forecast shows flooding could reach as high as 4.1 feet above normal levels around 6 a.m. on Saturday.

Alice Estrada, president and CEO of the Annapolis Maritime Museum in Eastport, said the museum had 18 inches of inside due to Tuesday’s surge. None of the museum’s contents were damaged, she said

“It’s very, very expensive for us to recover as I’m sure I speak for all the nonprofits; nonprofits are businesses too,” she said. “They just take their proceeds and put them back into their mission.”

Tuesday’s rain brought a historic tidal surge, knocking the flood of October 2021 down to the fourth worst in Annapolis’ history.

The Department of Public Works deployed what it calls “tube barriers.” which are tent-like, accordion-shaped barriers that can be laid down in front of floodwaters. The barriers fill with water, preventing flooding from going farther into the street. By around 2 p.m. on Tuesday, the city had closed Randall at Dock Street as floodwaters rose.

The barriers were placed between the Choptank Restaurant and the Fleet Reserve Club.

Deployment of the barriers was a part of a pre-planned demonstration, said Burr Vogel, director of Public Works. A company from the Netherlands, Dutch Water Prevention, was presenting the technology at a resiliency expo in Baltimore and loaned 10 meters of the barriers to the city to make sure that they would mitigate flooding.

The department learned two things from Tuesday’s “demonstration”: 10 meters is not enough to cover the area where the barriers were placed, and they can hold back up to 4 feet of floodwaters.

Vogel said that he wants to purchase 20 meters of the barriers, which cost around $9,000.

Though Compromise Street eventually closed due to flooding, the barriers were able to keep it open for four extra hours, according to Buckley.

The flooding left businesses like Storm Bros. Ice Cream Factory — which has closed four times due to flooding downtown — and Pip’s Dock Street Dogs closed until further notice.

Following the storm, the Department of Planning and Zoning issued 17 red notices that identified buildings that had incurred serious damage such as extensive equipment failures, wet floors and wet carpets. Thirteen red notices are still active, said Chris Jakubiak, director of the Department and Planning and Zoning.

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