Baker seeks federal disaster funds for storm damages
Baker, a
Preliminary estimates peg the costs of emergency response, clearing debris and repairing public infrastructure at more than
"This intense and long duration storm brought historic flooding and damaging winds to easternnds of trees; damaged utility company wires, poles and infrastructure; and caused widespread power outages," he added.
More than 450,000 electricity customers were without power at the height of the storm, he wrote.
If a disaster is declared,
Baker is also asking for a disaster declaration from the
From a cost perspective, the state far exceeds the eligibility requirements, he noted.
"It can be a long process, but some communities would begin receiving federal reimbursement fairly quickly for some types of costs that are easily documented and verified," Schwartz said. "But we're talking about several tens of millions of dollars, so it does take time."
The storm was especially destructive along the coast. Inland communities also struggled with toppled trees, down limbs and local flooding.
A sizable chunk of the storm-related costs in
Baker noted in his letter that public facilities in
"The storm, with its high winds and pounding wave action, along with major flooding over multiple high tide cycles, caused flooding and severe beach erosion and damage to seawalls, bulkheads, roadways, a pier and a footbridge," he wrote.
Baker pointed out that
"Due to the magnitude of impacts from this storm, without federal disaster assistance, large capital improvement projects, such as seawalls and piers, will be deferred indefinitely and public services, funded though a very limited local budget, will be scaled back to accommodate the cost of repairs," he wrote.
State Senate Minority Leader
"Our communities have certainly sustained significant damage and hardships due to the frequency and duration of storms since January, creating extraordinary costs that were and are a real strain on municipal and household budgets," Tarr said Tuesday.
"I've never seen anything like it," Holaday said Tuesday. "We had homes surrounded by water, which I can't even remember happening."
Holaday said she didn't have a dollar figure for damages, particularly in terms of beach erosion, but the clean-up costs have been hefty.
"We spent several weeks just taking care of downed trees," she said. "So any help we could get from the federal government would be appreciated."
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