US to provide aid for April's flooding
Disaster ruling covers 8 counties hit by northeaster
President Bush issued a disaster declaration for Massachusetts yesterday covering last month's northeaster and approved federal aid to areas that flooded during the severe storm.
The move makes federal funding available to state and local governments as well as private nonprofit groups for emergency work and repairs. In Massachusetts, the declaration applies to eight counties: Barnstable, Berkshire, Dukes, Essex, Franklin, Hampden, Hampshire, and Plymouth.
"This declaration will help our communities, whose budgets are already stretched thin, deal with the financial impact" of the storm, said a statement issued by Governor Deval Patrick.
In New Hampshire, where Bush approved the state's request for a major disaster relief last month, state and federal emergency management officials said that nearly 1,500 residents have applied for help. More than $3.5 million in grants and low-interest loans have been approved to help residents and businesses affected by the floods, officials said.
Peter Judge, spokesman for the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency, said the lessons learned in the Mother's Day floods of 2006 lessened the damage caused by the recent storm.
"Communities looked at areas that had some flooding issues in May and minimized the damage from the flood," he said. "I think that contributed to the lack of overall damage from this event."
Known as the Patriots Day flood, the storm began April 15 and battered some communities for several days. The region suffered millions of dollars in damage and clean-up costs.
The storm struck less than a year after the 2006 flood, which devastated portions of the Merrimack Valley. Federal and individual assistance for that flood totaled $80 million.
In last month's storm, officials said, flooding leveled 80 percent of the dunes on public and private sections of Salisbury State Beach in Salisbury, where a washed-out culvert that sent water over a mile-long stretch of Route 1 is expected to cost $300,000 to replace.
Preliminary estimates of damage statewide reached $10 million, the threshold for federal help.
Last week, Patrick said that homeowners and businesses could apply to the Small Business Administration for assistance. The agency will provide long-term, low-interest infrastructure loans of up to $200,000 to credit-worthy homeowners and $1.5 million to credit-worthy businesses, helping them to bridge gaps that may exist in insurance coverage.
Loans for personal property are capped at $40,000 for homeowners and renters.
In New Hampshire, the government has awarded $2.1 million for 803 residents to cover rental assistance, temporary lodging, and emergency home repairs. Nearly $150,000 was approved for property loss, medical or dental costs, and other serious expenses not covered by insurance.
In addition, the Small Business Administration has approved more than $1.2 million in loans for homeowners and businesses.
