$5M in disaster aid distributed to communities impacted by Sept. storms

The Healey-Driscoll administration announced on June 14 that it has distributed nearly $5 million in state disaster relief funding to 13 communities that were impacted by severe flooding last September.

The funding remained from the $15 million in disaster relief provided by the supplemental budget signed by Gov. Maura Healey last December.

The $5 million is being distributed after President Joe Biden approved an appeal to provide federal disaster aid for businesses and eligible homeowners and renters who incurred storm-related repair costs in September 2023, but the Federal Emergency Management Agency denied an appeal for Public Assistance for Hampden and Worcester counties. (See related coverage.) As a result, the administration is now distributing the remaining $5 million in state aid that it had set aside while the appeal was pending.

The municipalities receiving funds are: Bridgewater, Chicopee, Leominster, Lunenburg, Middlefield, North Attleborough, Pepperell, Princeton, Scituate, Springfield, Sterling, Westford and Worcester.

Mayor Dean Mazzarella of Leominster, one of the hardest-hit communities, expressed his gratitude to the governor and lieutenant governor “for their constant support” of his city.

“On Sept. 11, Gov. Healey sent a full state team to help us respond,” he said in a prepared statement. “She came the next day to survey the damage, and her advocacy never stopped through the FEMA application and appeal process.”

He said the city will use its $3.6 million in state funds to start to repair damage to city roads and other public infrastructure.

The Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency created a web page (mass.gov/recover) to centralize information from FEMA on available federal assistance and to address frequently asked questions. The site provides information on Individual Assistance available to residents and businesses in Bristol and Worcester counties through FEMA. Those eligible should apply for assistance by July 15 at disasterassistance.gov.

The MEMA web page also provides information on low-interest personal and business loans available through the U.S. Small Business Administration.