LEOMINSTER, MASS. (WHDH) - Governor Maura Healey has formally appealed FEMA’s denial of the state’s request for a major disaster declaration over the major flooding that hit the area in September.
In a letter to President Joe Biden and FEMA Regional Administrator Lori Ehrlich, Healey emphasized the severity of the damage and the need for assistance from the federal government.
“These storms were devastating for our communities,” Healey wrote. “I saw the impacts firsthand – homes and businesses were destroyed, roadways and bridges were inaccessible, and some residents had to be evacuated. Six months later, they are still rebuilding. The state has done all that we can to support their recovery, but the needs far outpace our available resources.”
Healey said that the state is “concerned that FEMA’s assessment of our request failed to include certain identified costs” and provided a summary for reconsideration.
“Our communities must know that both their state and federal governments understand the severe challenges and stress they are facing, and that we are here to help,” Healey wrote. “Their recovery is particularly daunting given the knowledge that the next severe storm could be around the corner, as we continue to see the escalating impacts of climate change.”
Rep. James McGovern released a statement after FEMA’s denial expressing frustration and disappointment with FEMA’s decision, calling the denial “unacceptable and unconscionable”.
“I was on-the-ground after the flooding, and it was a disaster in every sense of the word,” McGovern said. “Families and small business owners showed me how they lost everything. Homes were completely leveled, cars were washed away, and kids were forced to learn in classrooms that were packed with water and mud only days before.”
Healey requested the declaration in hopes it would bring in federal dollars to help with the recovery in Worcester, Bristol, and Hamden counties, but last month FEMA denied the request, saying the state is capable of handling the damage without additional funding.
“Now, FEMA is telling these families to figure this out on your own – to rack up credit card debt, drain retirement accounts, and deal with greedy insurance companies who want to find every way possible not to pay out damage claims,” McGovern said at the time. “Massachusetts is one of the most efficient and least dependent states in the nation on the federal government, and in our time of need, FEMA is slamming the door in our face.”\
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