Area gets $22.5m for floods

Jul 29, 2010 — The Boston Globe

By Matt Carroll

Jul. 29, 2010 (The Boston Globe delivered by Newstex) -- At least five communities south of Boston have received more than $1 million each in federal disaster relief grants for residents who suffered property damage during the devastating floods in March.
More than 3,800 people in Braintree, Brockton, Lakeville, Randolph, and Weymouth are getting the grants, as are tens of thousands more in communities across Eastern Massachusetts, according to data from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, or FEMA, which coordinated federal assistance with the state.
Brockton topped the list, with more than 1,400 people getting $2.5 million for essential repairs to property and for other problems.
The deadline for filing for the financial aid passed earlier this month, after being extended twice to give people more time, said Mary Blagg, a spokeswoman for the agency. All told, more than 13,500 people south of Boston are sharing in at least $22.5 million - a dollar amount that is sure to increase as the agency processes more grant appli cations.
The average grant to residents in the area is about $1,700, and nearly three-quarters of the applications have been approved.
All together in Massachusetts, more than 37,000 people in seven drenched counties - Bristol, Essex, Middlesex, Norfolk, Plymouth, Suffolk, and Worcester - have received $57.4 million through mid-July.
Memories of the torrential rains may have faded for some, as drought, water bans, and an extended heat wave grip the area, but the storms in March set records. The Blue Hill Observatory measured 18.81 inches of rain, beating the record set in 1955, making the month the wettest on record.
Images of the storms' devastation are still vivid for many in Lakeville. Ninety-three-year-old Evelyn Pina said that at the height of the flooding, her home on Long Pond was surrounded by water - as if she lived on an island.
While her house was high enough to be spared, a wall that abuts the pond suffered damage, and contents in her garage, such as a lawnmower and luggage, were destroyed. She has received money from the federal government, although she declined to say how much.
``You're living dangerously, a little bit,'' she said about her home's location.
And she knows about living dangerously: Her house in Mississippi was destroyed by Hurricane Katrina, forcing her to turn her summer cottage in Lakeville into a year-round home.
Residents in Lakeville - and probably in many other area communities as well - are still dealing with the impact of the spring floods. Many residents attended a meeting recently to discuss the flooding, which left a long wake of destruction.
``Home after home after home'' was under water along the western shore of Long Pond, and there was debris floating everywhere, including propane gas canisters, said Nancy Yeatts, chairwoman of the Lakeville Board of Selectmen. "It was unbelievable.''
Roads were closed for days. Herons walked through the water flooding Route 18. Residents filled huge dumpsters with ruined furniture and appliances.
While some homeowners south of Boston suffered heavy damage, so did municipalities, which saw damage to roads and facilities, as well as unexpected overtime costs for public works employees and firefighters called to help out. Municipal claims are not included in the FEMA data.
Brockton has filed for $190,000 in claims on just the municipal side, not including schools, said Mike Thoreson, commissioner of the Department of Public Works. A road leading to a landfill was wrecked and a waste-water treatment plant also suffered damage, officials said.
In Braintree, while residents suffered more than $1 million in damages, the storms also cost the town more than $700,00 in damage to places such as the highway department barn and overtime for police officers and others.
The town, like other communities, can get federal reimbursement of 75 cents for every dollar of damage and work directly attributable to the storms. The paperwork process is demanding, said Braintree chief of staff Peter Morin, but "we've had great cooperation at the state and federal level responding to claims that have been filed.''
The federal grants include reimbursement for rental payments while homes are rebuilt, home repairs, and essential household items not covered by insurance, according to the federal government. Grants were also available for replacing personal property and in meeting medical and other disaster-related needs not covered by insurance or other government programs.
Loans were also available from the US Small Business Administration for homeowners, businesses, and nonprofits to help pay for repairing, replacing, or rebuilding personal property and business assets.
Matt Carroll can be reached at mcarroll@globe.com or followed on Twitter @GlobeMattC.

Newstex ID: BGL-1035-47419777