N.H. appeal makes state eligible for flood disaster aid
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Dec. 29—Following the state's appeal, the Federal Emergency Management Agency reversed an earlier decision and approved disaster relief for damages caused by storm-related flooding in Cheshire and Sullivan County communities last August, according to state officials.
FEMA initially had turned down the state's appeal to treat heavy rains from July 29-Aug. 2 as a single disaster, even though there was no rain on one day during that stretch (July 31).
"New Hampshire Homeland Security and Emergency Management fought hard to reverse the initial decision," Gov. Chris Sununu said Tuesday.
State officials maintained the back-to-back rainstorms caused flooding to continue throughout the five-day period.
"The state continues to work with its local and federal partners to make sure the affected communities and agencies get access to funding," said Jennifer Harper, the state's director of the Homeland Security and Emergency Management.
Sununu said most of the damage covered by the request was to state property, maintained by either the Department of Transportation or the Department of Natural and Cultural Resources.
All told, the federal decision makes the state eligible for relief totaling $3.2 million.
FEMA typically covers 75% of eligible repair costs, while the state and/or local government must pay the other 25%.
The Department of Natural and Cultural Resources reported six of its bridges along recreational trails had been damaged with one trail washout totaling nearly 3,000 feet.
A state Department of Transportation recreational trail had its own major washout a damage to a culvert, officials said.
On Aug. 1-2, the heaviest rainfall was in Sullivan County with the most rain recorded in Newport (2.8 inches), Unity (2.5 inches) and Sunapee (2.4 inches).
The Merrimack County towns of Newbury and Danbury both got 2.3 inches and New London got 2 inches, but only Sullivan and Cheshire counties reached damage levels high enough to qualify for FEMA relief.
Earlier in October, FEMA granted the state's first 2021 bid for disaster help, stemming from damage caused by July 17-19 rains in 14 Cheshire County towns.
The damage to government-owned infrastructure from that storm was $2.1 million.
