By Steve Kemme
The Cincinnati Enquirer

HAMILTON - A team of federal inspectors will crisscross the width and length of Butler County today to look at the most severely damaged homes in last weekend's flood to determine if the county qualifies for flood-relief loans and grants.

Inspectors from the U.S. Small Business Administration's Area 2 Disaster Assistance Office in Atlanta will be in Hamilton early this morning with Butler County Emergency Management Agency officials. Then they'll go to 32 homes the county has identified as having major structural damage.

If the SBA inspectors determine that at least 25 of the homes have suffered a minimum loss in market value of 40 percent, they'll recommend that the SBA's Washington office declare Butler County a disaster area.

That would allow uninsured flood victims - with major and minor damages - to apply for SBA low-interest loans. Those who don't qualify for the loans could apply for Ohio's individual assistance grants.

On Wednesday, Ohio Gov. Bob Taft declared Butler County to be in a state of emergency.

The homes that will be inspected are scattered throughout the county. But William Turner, director of the Butler County Emergency Management Agency, said he expects the inspections to be completed today.

"Hopefully, of the 32 homes on our list, they will be able to find the 25 they will be looking for," he said.

Matt Young, a spokesman for the SBA's office in Atlanta, said he doesn't know when the agency's Washington office will decide whether Butler County has enough severely damaged homes to be declared a disaster area.

More than 300 homes in Butler County sustained flood damage last weekend when heavy rains caused many creeks to overflow. Most of those homes had minor damage from flooded basements.

E-mail skemme@enquirer.com