BY ROD HANSEN

After suffering damage in the nor’easter of April 16 rivaling that of last year’s Mother’s Day floods, the town will likely file for federal disaster assistance, according to Town Manager Burton Reynolds.

“At the height of the storm we probably had more roads closed than open,” said Reynolds.

He said preliminary estimstates reported to the state office of emergency management put the town’s damages at $400,000.

That estimate may have been high because three town bridges were all damaged at the time of the assessment, Reynolds said. Lyndeboro Road Bridge, Gregg Mill Road Bridge and Howe Bridge all suffered extensive damage due to the storm, Reynolds said.

The town is currently recording all expenses associated with flood repair in one account, Reynolds said. If the town qualifies for aid from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, he said he expects FEMA to reimburse 75 percent in infrastructure repair, while the state will reimburse 12.5 percent and New Boston is expected to pay the remaining 12.5 percent.

New Boston officials expected to collect paperwork from FEMA at a special meeting at the Bedford town offices on Tuesday, May 8, Reynolds said. After putting itself on a list of towns requesting assistance, New Boston would then receive a FEMA contact person, followed by a tour of New Boston by the federal agency to assess damages.

Immediately after the flood, Police Chief Chris Krajenka said all major thoroughfares leading into town were closed at the height of the storm.

The town faced severe weather challenges due to small brooks and streams that turned into raging torrents during the most intense periods of the storm, Reynolds said.

“Here you’ve got these little streams that are dry most of the year, and they just went crazy during the storm and overflowed their banks and destroyed pavement,” he said.

The town was lucky to have local contractors who specialize in excavation offering assistance during the storm, Reynolds said.

However, he said repairs were often delayed due to the gushing waters.

“We had people who were all ready to get started on road repairs, but Mother Nature wouldn’t let us in,” Reynolds said.

New Boston could qualify for flood relief, because it sits in one of nine New Hampshire counties declared to be federal disaster areas due to the storm.

FEMA is also operating a disaster recovery center at the Pinardville Fire Station at 656 Mast Road in Goffstown.

Residents can register for federal and state through the FEMA Web site at www.fema.gov or by calling (800) 621-3362.