President Bush declared Mercer County a disaster area Saturday, paving the way for county and local governments to get federal money for extensive damage caused by storms and flooding last month.

From July 21 to July 28, Mercer County was pounded by torrential rains, flooding and tornadoes. Heavy damage was done to bridges, roads, buildings, homes and businesses as rain continued to pour over the course of the week.

Other counties in Pennsylvania that received the disaster area designation Saturday include Crawford, Forest, McKean, Venango and Warren.

The declaration was announced by the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

By securing the designation, local governments can receive federal money to cover up to 75 percent of the cost of debris removal, emergency services used during the disaster, and the repair or replacement of public facilities.

Mercer County Commissioner Cloyd E. "Gene" Brenneman said Sunday commissioners had not been notified about the federal disaster designation.

The storms caused $2 million in damage over the week of downpours.

At least four county bridges were damaged. Those spans are on Colt Road in Transfer, Hamburg Road in Hempfield Township, and Ball Park and Clay Furnace roads in Jefferson Township.

So far, only local governments in Mercer County are eligible for federal aid.

McKean and Warren counties were declared eligible for small-business loans by the U.S. Small Business Administration on Aug. 13; so far, they are the only counties in Pennsylvania eligible for both small-business loans and federal aid.

Earlier this month when Gov. Ed Rendell declared the county a disaster area, former county director of public safety James Thompson said he thought it was unlikely that the county would qualify for individual assistance to property owners with uninsured or structurally damaged homes.

Thompson said he saw very few properties that were damaged severely enough to qualify. He added that the Clark area, which lost many homes in the November tornado, did not qualify at that time.

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