A state official said Thursday that he expects some form of federal assistance to help East Ridge residents recover from the past week’s floods.

“Dozens of renters are out of a place to live and lost everything,” Tom Cloud, an area coordinator for the Tennessee Emergency Management Association, told the East Ridge City Council.

Mr. Cloud said he expects that the federal government will issue an individual assistance declaration to help renters recover from property loss.

The Small Business Administration could issue a declaration as well, which would provide low-interest loans to businesses and homeowners. The declarations could take up to a week and a half to be issued, he said.

The city council approved a recommendation by City Manager William R. Whitson to appoint an ombudsman to help citizens file insurance claims and find other assistance. The ombudsman, who has yet to be named, will have a 60-day term.

Mr. Whitson said he expects the Federal Emergency Management Agency to be in town next Monday. The city government on Monday will set up a community assistance center in the community center so residents can talk to different aid agencies in one location. Or, residents may call 211 for information, he said.

“This flood event has shown me we need to roll up our sleeves and do some serious … rethinking about where structures are allowed to be and what flood measures are possible,” Mr. Whitson said.

City workers also will soon start placing lime on sports fields and playgrounds to neutralize any sewage which spilled out as a result of the flood, Mr. Whitson said. Until then, those fields and playgrounds are closed for health reasons.

Kyle Jacobs said that the floods destroyed his business, The Suburban Home, a home for seniors that was located at 5417 Connell St. Mr. Jacobs said he came to East Ridge in early 2008 to open his business and had received extensive help from the city’s building inspection department on safety issues such as where to place fire extinguishers. His business was approved, and he made sure he had proper zoning. But no one told him that the property had flooded in the past. While saying that he did not conduct due diligence, he believes that city officials should have told him about the flooding. He did not have flood insurance, so he does not believe the business will re-open.

Vice Mayor Tom Card asked Mr. Jacobs to give the city a chance to review the situation. Mr. Whitson said that the city is changing its hazard mitigation plan and that Geographic Information Systems maps are more accurate now, which will allow flood maps to be updated.

After the meeting, Mr. Jacobs said that renovating the damaged property will not prevent future floods.

The city council also learned that the city’s audit has been finished, and last year’s fiscal year general fund ended at just under $560,000, according to Finance Director Natalie Blackwell.

John McNeel, an East Ridge resident, said that he and 58 others who use motorized wheelchairs filed a complaint with the Department of Justice on Monday for alleged non-compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act. Mr. McNeel said that he has to travel to Sears Essentials to catch a CARTA bus. He spoke on the issue until Vice Mayor Card told him he had used his allotted five minutes to address the council.

Mr. McNeel said outside the meeting that he and other people in wheelchairs cannot safely cross Ringgold Road because there is no crosswalk, nor can they safely go through the tunnels.

In other business, Mr. Whitson said that the first annual Fall Fest has been postponed until a later date because of the flooding. The event had been scheduled for Oct. 17.

The city council approved a motion to spend $102,589 for digital cameras for new police patrol cars and for tactical vehicles. More than 70 percent of the funds will be provided by a stimulus grant, said Police Chief Eddie Phillips. The remainder of the funds will be provided either by funds that already had been set aside for that purpose or from the drug fund.

And, the city council approved a resolution to issue up to $775,000 in interest-bearing general obligation capital outlay notes. The notes will pay for garbage cans and trucks for the city’s new automated garbage collection system, Mr. Whitson said. And, the council approved on final reading a motion to regulate the size and placement of political signs on rights of way.

Friday was declared East Ridge High School Band Day in a proclamation by Mayor Mike Steele, who did not attend the meeting, in recognition of the school’s homecoming reunion.