LEOMINSTER, MASS. (WHDH) - FEMA has denied the state’s request for a major disaster declaration over the major flooding that hit the area in September.
Leominster was one of the communities hardest hit by historic rain that swept away roads.
Rep. James McGovern released a statement 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.”
Gov. Maura Healey hoped the declaration would bring in federal dollars to help with the recovery in Worcester, Bristol, and Hamden counties, but FEMA said the state is capable of handling the damage without additional funding.
The state plans to appeal.
“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. “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.”
McGovern said he’s been in touch with officials from the mayor of Leominster to the White House.
“President Biden must overturn this irresponsible recommendation, and I will fully support the governor as she prepares her appeal,” he said.
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