It wasn't that long ago that a September storm ripped through Bristol and Worcester counties, leaving behind nothing but turmoil in parts of Massachusetts. Now, there's help for people who were impacted.
For people like the homeowners here on Pleasant Street in Leominster – whose property was damaged so severely from that September rainstorm that they haven’t been able to live here since – this federal disaster relief has been a long time coming.
In fact, nearly 1,400 people in Leominster applied for Massachusetts Disaster Declaration relief that provides grants for temporary housing and home repairs. FEMA originally denied the state’s request for aid for Worcester and Bristol counties after the catastrophic flooding last fall.
Gov. Maura Healey appealed, and it was approved by President Joe Biden earlier this month.
While the City of Leominster is still trying to recover roughly $30 million in repairs to municipal infrastructure, homeowners, renters, and businesses can begin the process of applying for federal aid today.
For homeowner Sarah Marchand who had $15,000 in damage from the flooding that she paid for out of her own pocket – this is a long time coming.
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“There’s a lot of PTSD around here whenever it rains everybody’s cringing…We lost everything we had that touched the floor…everything is gone. We had to wait for tax returns to see if we could finish the floors,” Marchand said.
FEMA officials are available Wednesday and Thursday 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. at Leominster City Hall to answer questions and help people apply for federal aid. A similar Disaster Recovery Center is also open at Bristol Community College.
There are other ways to apply for assistance, including online or by phone.
Online, you can apply at DisasterAssistance.gov. The FEMA website is accessible and includes language translation options.
You can also call 1-800-621-3362. Press 1 for English, 2 for Spanish and 3 for all other languages. If you use video relay service (VRS), captioned telephone service or other, give FEMA your number for that service. Phone lines operate from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. seven days a week. Download FEMA’s Mobile App. Select Disaster Resources and click on Apply for Assistance Online.
For the latest information visit 4780 | FEMA.gov. Follow FEMA on Twitter (X) at twitter.com/femaregion1 and at facebook.com/fema.
For updates on Massachusetts response and recovery operations, follow the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency on Twitter (X) MEMA (@MassEMA) / X and Facebook Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency (MEMA) | Facebook or visit Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency | Mass.gov.
