Even as Wayne County residents receive checks, FEMA representatives continue operating in the county.
LaSharda Leasy, an intergovernmental affairs specialist, and her successor, Larry Behill, visited Wayne County’s commissioners during their Oct. 7 meeting. Leasy is rotating out of the assignment, and Behill is arriving for at least a 30-day stint.
Leasy, who has visited as many governmental bodies as she could, said the federal agency attempts to provide as much eligible assistance to those impacted by the Aug. 12 flooding as possible on a case-by-case basis. The deadline to apply for individual assistance is Oct. 24, she said.
The assistance is designed to stabilize residents’ situations, although Leasy said it might not return residents to where they were before the flooding.
FEMA also will provide public infrastructure assistance and connect governments with experts to tailor the assistance to each community’s needs.
Commissioner Brad Dwenger said he knows residents receiving FEMA assistance checks and credited the agency’s representatives with doing “a great job.”
During the short meeting, commissioners also approved two personnel items that Wayne County Council had approved earlier in the day contingent upon commissioners’ approval.
Steve Higinbotham, the county administrator, received permission to post and hire a housekeeping and maintenance position in the building and grounds department.
Mike Sharp, the highway supervisor, gained approval to post and hire a truck driver.
A version of this article appeared in the October 14 2026 print edition of the Western Wayne News.
