Help on the way – New Boston prepares for FEMA’s arrival

Goffstown Editor — Wed, 06 Jun 2007 18:29:00 GMT

The town will soon be giving a tour to a representative from the Federal Emergency Management Agency in order to recoup part of the $400,000 spent on repairs from the April nor’easter.

Town Administrator Burton Reynolds said the representative will be arriving in two weeks and the town is busy preparing information to present to him to show the extent of work done to repair roadways.

That information will include a detailed list of all roads where work was done and the cost of supplies used.

New Boston is eligible for relief because it is one of nine New Hampshire counties declared a federal disaster area after the storm.

By the time the FEMA representative arrives, only a few small repairs will be left to make.

Lyndeboro Road Bridge, Gregg Mill Road Bridge and Howe Bridge all suffered extensive damage due to the storm, Reynolds said.

“We were fortunate to have local contractors help, the real bad places were fixed within about a week,” Reynolds said.

If the town qualifies for aid, 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.

Reynolds said that after the representative leaves he will make his recommendation, the official paperwork must be completed and reviewed, and then the town will receive the appropriate aid.

This process usually takes between 60 and 90 days.

“Ninety days is more realistic,” Reynolds said.

If there is one positive taken from the Mother’s Day floods of 2006, it is the experience it has given the town in dealing with applying for aid.

“(Before 2006) we never had applied for aid because of floods, only snow storms,” Reynolds said. “It was a much easier process this year because we had gone through it before.”

Town plans to apply for FEMA aid

Goffstown Editor — Wed, 09 May 2007 19:32:00 GMT

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.

New Boston News : FEMA

Help on the way – New Boston prepares for FEMA’s arrival

Town plans to apply for FEMA aid