Heavy rainfall caused severe flooding and extensive damage in Leominster last month.
It's been a month since flooding caused tens of millions of dollars in damage in Leominster, Massachusetts. While many parts of the city have seen progress, other parts are still reeling from the impacts.
Two dams have been shored up and fixed, streets repaved and homes repaired but, for residents like Moses Dejene, the headache continues.
"I've been confused and lost," said Dejene.
He tells us his driveway and his son's car completely washed away.
"As you can see, we're still in the same place since the incident took place," he said.
He reached out to the city to ask for assistance, since his insurance doesn't cover flooding.
"We are on our own with this, and yeah, I don't know where to begin, honestly," Dejene said. "I'm not prepared to deal with something like this."
But since he is on private property, it makes things a little more complicated, Mayor Dean Mazzarella said.
"A lot of this is out of our control," he said. "It's either insurance companies, FEMA."
More on the flooding in Leominster
The mayor and the office of Gov. Maura Healey say that FEMA will be in the city Thursday to assess damages.
Residents are hoping they will get much-needed assistance, especially since they're against the clock with winter right around the corner.
"From the city standpoint, it's trying to get people, you know, heating systems back up and running, hot water tanks," Mazzarella said. "Those are the priorities right now."
Dejene says he understands the city is under a lot of pressure, but he hopes to find a solution soon.
"I guess they are probably dealing with the same stress that I assume that most of the residents," he said.
The mayor says more than 1,000 residents who also have private properties have applied for assistance from FEMA.
The recovery efforts can still take weeks to months.
