White House overrules FEMA on storm aid for September floods

President Joe Biden overturned a Federal Emergency Management Agency denial of a major disaster declaration for the strong storms that flooded parts of Massachusetts in September, though the new federal action appears to still fall short of what Gov. Maura Healey had sought.

The White House announced late Wednesday night that Biden had determined "that a major disaster exists in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and ordered Federal assistance to supplement state, tribal and local recovery efforts in the areas affected by severe storms and flooding" from Sept. 11 to Sept. 13, 2023.

The White House said the action makes federal assistance available to people in Bristol and Worcester counties. The state had been seeking assistance for Hampden County as well. The State House News Service has reached out to the governor's office and FEMA for more information.

When Healey appealed FEMA's denial in March, she said recovery needs "far outpace" what the state could offer to Bay Staters who, in some cases, lost their homes to flooding from the storms. Viewing flood damage in North Attleborough, Healey consoled a woman as she learned that her home would be condemned after filling with six feet of water the night before.

"The rainfall experienced between September 11-13, 2023, resulted in extraordinary concentrations of damages that justify Federal assistance. The extensive damage was so concentrated across Worcester and Hampden Counties that it warrants further consideration," Healey wrote in her March appeal.

The governor said that Springfield, in Hampden County, "experienced a catastrophic water main break attributed to the failure of a culvert and subsequent erosion related to the rainfall" and that FEMA had excluded portions of repair and debris removal costs "contrary to the opinions of the City's engineers and subject matter experts."

FEMA said people in Bristol and Worcester counties can begin to apply for assistance at www.DisasterAssistance.gov, by calling 800-621-FEMA (3362), or on the FEMA app. Assistance could include grants for temporary housing and home repairs, loans to cover uninsured property losses, and cost-sharing opportunities for statewide hazard mitigation.