BY ROD HANSEN

The rains of this year’s April nor’easter were not as severe as last year’s Mother’s Day floods, but the high waters arrived at a dangerous speed.

That message came through several times at a special work session on Thursday, April 19, as various department heads met with selectmen to discuss the town’s response to this year’s floods.

“The biggest difference between this year’s floods and last year’s is this year’s came up very, very fast,” said town building inspector Ed Neveu.

Waters in this year’s flooding came so fast they undermined the foundations of two homes in the Lynchville Park neighborhood, Neveu said.

A total of 82 homes have been left uninhabitable due to last week’s nor’easter, said Police Chief Michael French.

Inspectors visited a total of 92 homes affected by the rains, French said. Of those, 10 received a green placard signaling fitness for occupancy.

The largest subgroup of 61 homes received a yellow placard, meaning they could receive power and could be entered for repair purposes, but were not fit for habitation. Finally, 21 of the homes received red placards indicating serious safety threats.

French praised the home inspection process, noting that all homes had been inspected by 3:30 p.m. that day, one hour earlier than the goal.

He said residents not approved for full occupancy should be in contact with the town’s building department to schedule further inspections.

Because some residents are now out of their homes during the repair process, selectmen declared a state of emergency. The move allows the town to invoke an ordinance letting displaced homeowners live in recreational vehicles until the homes have been approved for residency.

Selectmen also voted to waive building inspection and trash disposal fees for residents affected by the flooding.
Selectmen will revisit their emergency declaration in six months.

Many of the residents affected by the flooding had just completed home repairs from last year’s Mother’s Day floods, Neveu said. Although most of those residents had raised their homes to protect against future flooding, they still experienced significant property damage.

“A lot of people who raised their homes used the space underneath for storage, and a lot of them put in more storage (material) than they should have,” Neveu said.

“Right now, we’re seeing a lot of frustrated people,” he said.

A team from the Federal Emergency Management Agency was scheduled to arrive in town to begin individual damage assessments the following day, French said.

The town’s own assessments have placed the total damage to local infrastructure at $352,000, French said. This includes $224,352 in road damages.

Director of Public Works Carl Quiram said this year’s flooding did not cause as much road damage as least year’s, and that he did not expect the repairs to occupy the department’s efforts throughout the summer.

“I hate to say we’re seasoned veterans, but we’ve been here before,” Quiram said.