WHEELING — Officials from federal agencies joined local leaders on a tour of flood-ravaged areas of Triadelphia and Valley Grove on Wednesday to assure those impacted by the June 14 disaster that a first-hand account of the damage will be relayed to the nation’s capital.

Representatives of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, the U.S. Small Business Administration and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency were escorted through devastated neighborhoods and met with local officials on the front lines of the ongoing recovery efforts.

“This is the kind of thing where the federal government needs to come in early and talk to people that are on the ground, having the conversations and actually seeing the devastation first-hand,” said Joe DeFelice, assistant deputy secretary of HUD’s Office of Field Policy & Management, based in Philadelphia. “We want to get our federal eyes on this so that we can take this conversation back so it doesn’t get lost in the shuffle. The fastest way to get this stuff taken care of out of Washington is to be on the ground.”

Disastrous flooding along Little Wheeling Creek and Big Wheeling Creek destroyed low-lying areas along National Road when flash flooding struck the area June 14 in the wake of a short, intense burst of rain that dropped up to 4 inches in 30 minutes. Representatives from the Federal Emergency Management Agency have also been in the area gathering information for damage assessments that are being taken back to Washington in hopes that a presidential disaster declaration will soon be made.

Local, county and state officials have already declared the area a disaster. If President Donald Trump issues a federal disaster declaration, it will open the door to funding through FEMA for assistance to rebuild public infrastructure and private property.

DeFelice said federal officials can weigh in on the decision after getting a first-hand view of the damage — and they plan to take their message back to Washington, D.C.

“I’m not going to lie — there’s bureaucracy in Washington,” DeFelice said. “We all understand that, unfortunately. We’re here to help break through that log jam. To be the bridge to move things forward. We can’t let people get discouraged.”

DeFelice said contacts from the federal agencies can help cut through red tape that often bogs down the path to recovery for those in need.

“There can be too many logins, too much paperwork, it’s very confusing and people are dealing with the worst disaster they’ve ever dealt with,” he said. “They lose loved ones, they lose their house and the next thing you know, they’re getting a letter from FEMA telling them they’ve been denied — now seven paragraph’s later, it’s telling them what they need to do to make it right.”

While FEMA assistance is still eagerly awaited, officials from the SBA said they hoped to open local offices soon. The SBA will offer low-interest loans for those impacted by the floods — and a federal disaster declaration is not needed for this assistance.

“Twenty five percent of businesses — when they’re impacted like this — don’t reopen. And we don’t want that to happen anywhere, especially in areas that are already hurting,” said Jim Spencer, regional administrator for the U.S. SBA’s Mid-Atlantic Region, Office of Field Operations, adding that a common misconception about the SBA is that the agency only helps businesses. “There are other things that the SBA does. We’re here, and we care about you. We support you, and we’re here to help. We’re communicating, we’re all working together and we want to fast-track this.”

The SBA offers loans to eligible entities and has a working capital program and can help provide financial relief to those impacted, as well.

“We don’t just help businesses,” said Lesley Hill, public affairs specialist for the U.S. SBA’s Office of Disaster Recovery & Resilience, based in Atlanta. “We help homeowners, renters, private non-profits and businesses with loans up to 30 years and interest rates as low as 4% for businesses and 3.625% for homeowners and renters.”

Hill said the SBA can help businesses replenish lost inventory and help them make payroll to get them started up again.

“Survivors have been so beat up that they give up, and that’s what we can’t have,” Hill said, noting that the SBA is currently eying possible office locations that will be announced soon. “Once these centers are open, we have to keep getting the word out, because they can answer all of the questions.

“We’ve assessed the damage, and we’re going to get these centers open. Because that’s a big thing in the community. We’ve been through some of these neighborhoods — these people need to know that we’re listening and that they’re being heard. It means a lot.”

Lead federal officials on hand touring the area from the U.S. HUD, SBA and EPA were all appointed to their positions by President Trump, who will ultimately consider a federal disaster declaration.

Amy Van Barcom-Lackey, regional administrator for the U.S. EPA’s Mid-Atlantic Region, said their role in the trenches was what they call “cooperative federalism.”

“Federal agencies need to hear what’s happening,” she said, adding that the EPA’s priority is to promote and provide clean air, land — and especially in this case — water. “My heart goes out to the community and all of the volunteers here. It is our role to listen and learn today, and we appreciate you taking the time. We understand that you’re in a disaster situation and the priority is with the people on the ground right now.”