Flushed out from the big flood

1. What is the National Emergency Grant and its purpose?

The National Emergency Grant is a grant available to counties statewide and it targets those with an emergency declaration that includes government entities. If it doesn't include the government, if the government was not shut down, these grants aren't available. ... It's a project put together by the U.S. Department of Labor and the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services' rapid response fund to employ people who have been affected by the disaster to cleanup after the disaster in a long-term effort.

2. What is your role?

As the project operator, I run all the administrative angles of the project. I do payroll, purchasing. I maintain daily contacts with the operations. I am in the field. I arrange safety training. I employ, fire and take care of all the personnel matters. ... It's a pretty full job.

3. In what ways does this benefit Putnam County?

To start with, since it's a Department of Labor project, it's a project to put people to work. The employees I hire have to fit certain criteria. They have to have lost their job or lost their home because of the flood and haven't been able to get back to either one. They are long-term unemployed or underemployed. ... So, it's taking a group of people, putting them to work and giving them skills so they'll be viable to parts of the work force in this community. Additionally, it's clearing hundreds of tons of debris out of the river to reduce risk of potential future flooding.

4. What are the details of the project?

The flood of August 2007, and another flood in February of 2008, washed a lot of debris into the rivers and streams and caused a lot of logjams and uprooted trees. ... This grant covers all the waterways in Putnam County. ... We pull the logjams and debris out of the rivers and off the banks. ... The project lasts until June 2009. Our goal is to get the debris off the site so it doesn't wash back into the river.

5. What is your experience in doing this type of work?

I just finished in June of 2007 a two-year project clearing ice storm and flood damage in Logan County. It ran a lot like this program. ... My background is in a variety of things. I do a lot of grant writing. I do different grants for county agencies, which is how I locked into this project. ... I have a good working knowledge of machinery. I also worked as a set builder for theater companies. ... I bring a variety of skills to the job. I've ran a lot of crews in my life.

6. What's the most interesting thing you have found in the rivers?

We pulled a safe out of the Tawa Run. It was a big old-fashioned safe about the size of a dishwasher. Of course, we reported it to the police immediately and they had no interest in it. We brought it out here and banged on it on our off time. We finally got it open only to find it had an inner lockbox, which made it more exciting. Once we got that inner lockbox pried open, we found it was full of nothing but a lot of nasty mud. ... That was our "treasure."

7. What's the best part of your job?

When our crew members go forward and get good jobs. ... These people show up on time and do an incredible job and you got to be happy to see them go on. ... We've had great support in the community. The commissioners have been behind this project.