LEOMINSTER, MASS. (WHDH) - Local, state, and federal officials celebrated Thursday after the city of Leominster received a nearly $6 million grant to help with flood mitigation in the wake of last year’s devastating flooding in the city.
Sen. Ed Markey, Sen. Elizabeth Warren, Rep. Jim McGovern and others in a joint statement said the funding came from the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s hazard Mitigation Grant Program.
Now headed to Leominster, the influx of federal dollars will help redesign a channel that guides Monoosnoc Brook through the downtown area.
Flooding rain hit Leominster as part of a line of storms that swept across New England on Sept. 11, 2023.
Floodwaters quickly overwhelmed parts of the city, prompting emergency rescues and evacuations as rivers and brooks swelled over their banks. When the water receded, it left behind damaged roads, buildings, and parking lots.
Gov. Maura Healey asked the federal government for disaster aid in parts of western Massachusetts, Worcester County and Bristol County as a result of flooding last year.
After FEMA denied her initial request, Healey appealed, prompting the Biden Administration to partially reverse FEMA’s decision. Though federal authorities granted aid to individuals impacted by the flooding, FEMA made a final decision to deny additional aid that would have reimbursed state agencies and municipalities for storm-related expenses.
Massachusetts officials reacted to the denial of state and municipal aid and said they would seek individual grants to complete outstanding repairs and projects.
“Downtown Leominster’s infrastructure requires the same resilience displayed by the city’s residents after last year’s flooding,” Markey said in a statement after helping win grant money this week. “I am proud to have fought for this funding on their behalf to mitigate the risk of flooding and prevent future disasters. I thank FEMA and [Leominster] Mayor Mazzarella for their commitment to this vital work.”
Warren, McGovern, and Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey noted concerns about climate change, with Warren saying “Part of tackling the climate crisis head on is investing in resilient infrastructure so that communities are prepared to weather worsening storms and floods.”
Seven years after one of the Monoosnoc Brook’s downtown channel walls collapsed in 2017, Mayor Dean Mazzarella said, “The repair and upgrade to the entire brook corridor has been a top priority for us.”
“These funds will not only help to protect critical infrastructure and the environment, but will help continue to make downtown Leominster a destination,” Mazzarella said.
Officials said FEMA already distributed nearly $6.5 million in individual assistance funding through the Biden Administration’s Massachusetts Severe Storms and Flooding disaster declaration.
The administration made its disaster declaration on May 15. The period to apply for aid under the declaration ended on July 15.
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