3 months after Leominster floods, Healey requests federal disaster declaration

LEOMINSTER - At first glance, Leominster seems to have recovered from the flash flooding in September that washed away railroad bridges, sidewalks and yards, and flooded homes and businesses.

But while everything is open, up and running, local officials say federal disaster aid is needed to make the community whole again.

Mayor Dean Mazzarella announced Tuesday on his live Facebook feed that the city had submitted all the necessary paperwork to the state and Gov. Maura Healey had filed a request for a disaster declaration Monday — three months to the day after the devastating storm washed away portions of the community.

The petition included requests for individual assistance for homeowners and businesses as well as funding to repair the city’s infrastructure and funds for the state Department of Transportation and the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority to pay for repairs to the commuter rail servicing Leominster.

Mazzarella: Process to request disaster aid long and grueling

“It was a lengthy, grueling process,” Mazzarella told the Telegram & Gazette.

He was referring to the process of gathering and documenting information and evidence needed for the declaration. Individual business and homeowners filed 1,400 damage claims. City and private engineers hired by Leominster identified $30 million needed to repair damage to 75 damaged public sites.

The Department of Transportation’s expenses came to $6 million and the MBTA submitted an estimate of $390,000 for repairs to the commuter rail serving the city.

“I never thought I wanted the city to be declared a disaster area, but with the declaration comes funds,” Mazzarella said. “I hope the declaration is signed by the president and in all categories.”

The federal government could approve all or part of the disaster declaration. It could opt for one-time grants or low-interest loans to individuals or only approve funding for public infrastructure repairs.

“That’s not our decision,” Mazzarella said on Facebook. “Our job was to compile the information needed to submit the request. Everybody worked closely together: the mayor’s office, the grant writer, the DPW. We hired private engineers to help us assess the damage and calculate the cost so that we would have accurate numbers.”

The mayor praised the Department of Transportation for its quick response the night of the floods and the work of other state agencies. He also praised his community, the residents who pulled together to help neighbors and donate money, food and clothing.

“They can all take a bow,” Mazzarella said.

Damage masked by temporary fixes

While Mazzarella said that “everything looks fine,” he said some of the fixes are temporary patches designed to last a few years.

Some homes are still empty, uninhabitable due to extensive damage. Others have had their heating systems and water supplies fixed but the yards are missing, having been washed away in the flood. The city raised $450,000 to lend a hand to struggling businesses and residents. Some homeowners dipped into savings or retirement funds to fix their structures.

The losses were both tangible and emotional.

“People lost special items, mementos, items handed down through the generations: photographs, menorahs, special holiday decorations,” Mazzarella said.

The owner of Main Street Café and Gifts, Mazzarella lost all of his holiday inventory, ordered in August and stored in the basement.

“It’s just business. There was nothing of sentimental value," he said. "Those things can be replaced. But people lost items that can’t be replaced.”

As the holidays approach, Mazzarella is grateful that while items were lost to the floods, there was no loss of life.

“Looking over the videos, the photos, the aerial shots, it was always a possibility that we could have had casualties,” Mazzarella said. “We were blessed, there were no lives lost.”

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This article originally appeared on Telegram & Gazette: Leominster floods: Governor seeks federal disaster declaration