One month after floodwaters swamped the west side of Butler, victims are still feeling the effects.

Dorothy Callihan, who lives at 533 W. Brady St., said her basement was flooded and items there destroyed.

Callihan, who has lived in her house for 23 years, was impressed by the community's effort to help flood victims.

“(The July 5 flooding) was the worst I've ever seen,” she said. “But yes, people care.”

Community members cleaned out her basement, and Team Rubicon, a group of military veterans and others who provide disaster relief, mucked mud and treated the basement walls for mold.

Callihan also received food from the Salvation Army, as well as cleanup supplies. However, federal aid did not come her way.

She said she was put on a list for potential aid, but so far has not received any money. She also said her homeowner's insurance policy has not paid for her damage.

Callihan bought a water heater, but still has to replace her basement windows and furnace. She is one of many who have not received aid from Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).

Butler Mayor Tom Donaldson said that many people who thought they were going to receive monetary assistance will not.

“There are certain criteria that have to be met before federal or state aid kicks in, and for whatever reason, with most of these agencies we don't meet the criteria,” Donaldson said.

Donaldson said criteria that agencies use includes the dollar amount of damage, as well as the number of homes and businesses affected.

He did, however, say that people who received approval through the United Way of Butler County will receive money.

Donaldson added that while many victims had homeowner's and even flood insurance, there were expensive deductibles they had to pay.

Cory Angell, the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency (PEMA) deputy director of communications, said that PEMA works with municipal and county officials to determine whether someone meets FEMA's criteria for individual assistance.

Leah Kobert of 515 W. Brady St. was another person affected by the flood. She said she called the United Way's 211 line, and was put on a list for potential financial assistance, but that she and her family have not been contacted about it since then.

Kobert had flood insurance, which covered cleanup of the basement, the furnace and anything structural related to the house. However, she and her fiancé had to replace their washer and dryer with their own money.

Kobert credited the Red Cross with giving out food and cleaning supplies. She also noted that the community helped out.

“They did have volunteers go around, but to be honest I don't think it was ever enough, because there were so many houses affected by this,” she said.

Kobert said there is a substance in her backyard that she is unsure whether it is mud or bacteria. Additionally, she and her family still have to dig up the mulch in her garden.

“On top of that, you still have to go to work, come home, work some more, and you're wearing your body down,” she said.

Adam Knox, who lives at 521 W. Brady St., was very happy with the community's efforts.

“This community turned out to be a great community,” he said. “It really did.”

He credited Jeff Harris, who is pastor of Crossroad Community and lives in the affected area, with donating supplies and equipment to those in need.

Brandy Williams, who lives at 544 W. Brady St., also gave credit to Crossroad Community, which donated a washer and dryer to her family.

Williams and her family will have to move across town following the flood. The house was not up to the city's housing requirements because of flood damage, and Williams said the city gave her landlord 30 days to fix the issues.

She said the landlord won't be able to get those done in time, so Williams and her family will be moving to a neighborhood near Butler Memorial Hospital.

That new house is remodeled and features the items the Williams' need, including a water heater.

“We got everything, thankfully,” she said.

Phyllis Finney of 411 W. New Castle St. opted to do the cleanup herself. She said that while she has to get her furnace checked, she had other basement equipment on palettes, so it was unaffected.

City Councilwoman Kathy Kline, who is the director of public safety, said the United Methodist Committee on Relief, a worldwide community relief organization, was to be in Butler on Saturday to aid flood victims in cleanup.

Municipal engineer Joe Gray said he has spoken with the state Department of Environmental Protection regarding its flood control project.

Gray said the DEP is in the second phase of the project, and that the goal is for the Brady Street, Penn Street and Miller Street bridges to be widened, as well as for Sullivan Run's downstream culverts to be removed. Both projects are scheduled to be done by next spring.

Gray also said the city is doing everything it can to maintain the waterways for which it is responsible. Additionally, he noted that the waterways on private property must be maintained by property owners.

He encouraged people to keep debris, including tree branches, out of streams and off banks, because debris can clog up waterways and cause flooding.

Gray spoke of the possibility of another flood.

“You could have consecutive 100-year storms in a week,” he said. “Just because it's a 100-year storm doesn't mean it occurs just every 100 years. It could happen at any point.”