On Wednesday, as officials prepared to apply for disaster relief funding from the federal government, legislators visited sites of flood damage in North Andover & Haverhill.
Karen Spilka (Ashland Democrat) said that it was “heartbreaking to see residential and business areas destroyed”. According to reports from local media, flooding in Haverhill caused a sinkhole that displaced more than two dozen people. North Andover declared an emergency following torrential rainfall on Tuesday.
Spilka was joined by Sen. Barry Finegold, of North Andover; Sen. Pavel Payano, of Lawrence; Senate Minority leader Bruce Tarrr, of Gloucester; and staff members from the U.S. Senator Ed Markey’s office.
Spilka told the News Service that she had spoken to officials from the Administration who informed her that damage assessments are still ongoing. We will work together with senators Finegold Payano and Tarr, as well as with MEMA and the federal delegation, to find all options available to those affected by the hurricane. This is yet another warning that climate change will continue. We need to intensify our efforts to protect and prepare our Commonwealth against the inevitable impacts.
Maura Shealey is the Lt. Governor. Kim Driscoll and Dawn Brantley of Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency visited North Andover business that were damaged by floods. Jaime Faria of the North Andover restaurant said that 5.5 inches (or 15 cm) of water had poured in the building. Another 5.5 feet filled the basement which houses refrigerators, ice makers, dry goods and alcohol.
The Eagle-Tribune reported that Rep. Seth Moulton had met with North Andover business owners and called the floods a “real catastrophe.”
Finegold said to the News Service on Wednesday that one of its office buildings looked as if it’d been bombed.
Tarr referred to the “pervasive” nature of a crumbling dam or watermarks reaching up to six feet in height inside buildings.
In an interview on Wednesday, Tarr stated, “It is hard to describe how devasted those buildings were because it wasn’t a simple flood, but a powerful hydraulic force that tore places apart.”
Karen Spilka, Senate president of Massachusetts, inspects the flood damage caused to an industrial structure in North Andover. [Courtesy/Senate President’s Office]
Tarr stated that a possible path to state relief could be found in a future budget supplemental.
Tarr says the focus is on securing a federal declaration of disaster to maximize funds from federal sources for Merrimack Valley recovery. According to a state website about the Federal Emergency Management Agency, local and state government will be reimbursed for expenses such as replacing or repairing damaged public buildings.
Karissa Hand is a Healey spokesperson. She said that MEMA had been “constantly” in contact with the local authorities since last Thursday.
To qualify for federal assistance, Essex County will have to pay damages of $3.6 million, while Massachusetts must pay around $12.4 million. Tarr’s Office says that efforts are underway to see if households can qualify for an additional FEMA program.
Melissa Rodrigues, the Town Manager, said that so far about 300 North Andover businesses and residents have reported “significant damages” in North Andover.
And we are still classifying and discovering the infrastructure damage. Rodrigues cited the 2018 Merrimack Valley explosions and said: “We hope to be able make thresholds for residents and business by working with neighboring communities.” Columbia Gas has already affected residents and business in the area. This is even more devastating.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture has designated seven counties in Massachusetts as disaster zones earlier this month. This means that farmers who have been affected by rain between July 9-16 may be eligible for federal loans.
A bridge was damaged by an overflowing Merrimack River as senators visited North Andover on Wednesday. [Courtesy/Senate President’s Office]
Finegold, however, said that there were no easy solutions to recover from this latest storm. This is especially true since the insurance companies struggled to help residents and business owners.
Many people spend a great deal of money on insurance and when they go to claim it, they’re told that the insurance is not flood coverage,” Finegold stated, indicating lawmakers might need to reform insurance in the future. People had floods even though they were not in flood zones.
Faria may not receive the full $30,000. His policy doesn’t cover interruptions of business or revenue losses due to pandemics, floods, or other disasters.
Faria has twenty employees. It should be black and white.
Mass Save prioritizes applications for rebates from communities affected to help cover the cost of furnaces, heat pumps, and water heaters.
Our administration has committed itself to building resilience and supporting recovery as the severity of weather events increases because of climate change.
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