Leominster denied federal funds for catastrophic storm as disaster recovery centers open for residents [Video]

The Federal Emergency Management Agency has denied federal funding for the city of Leominster to fix public property destroyed in September’s catastrophic flooding, officials said Wednesday. Leominster Mayor Dean Mazzarella said the city suffered at least $30 million in public property damage from the storms that brought 10 inches of rain in four hours on Sept. 11, 2023.”This is devastating news. Leominster is a city that is and will continue to be aggressive about maintaining our infrastructure. This 1,000-year storm destroyed 1-month-old sidewalks, freshly paved and striped roads and even a recently replaced culvert. It’s heartbreaking,” Mazzarella said. “We spent $2 million of city money just on temporary repairs to get our city open again.”The Healey/Driscoll Administration filed a disaster declaration for Individual Assistance and Public Assistance last winter. Both parts of the application were denied in February. Mazzarella said Leominster officials worked with Haley’s office to appeal the decision. …