Leominster residents apply for home FEMA aid as city is denied federal help again
LEOMINSTER - The city of Leominster was rejected - for the second time - for FEMA disaster relief to help repair its roads from the devastating flooding in September.
In a letter addressed to Governor Healey following her appeal, a FEMA director wrote, "based on our review of all the information included in the initial request and appeal, we reaffirm our original finding that the damage to the infrastructure from this event was not of such severity and magnitude as to warrant the designation of Public Assistance."
"It's disappointing," Mayor Dean Mazzarella told WBZ. "I thought for sure with the governor's support and the lieutenant governor appealing that this would be... a sure bet."
Residents qualify for FEMA aid
Still, individual residents qualify for FEMA aid due to the impact on their homes in Leominster and surrounding areas.
A temporary FEMA response center is now set up inside Leominster City Hall, and a spokesperson told WBZ more than 500 people out of an anticipated 1500 have already applied for funds.
"There will probably be a phone call from a number you don't know," FEMA spokesperson Kim Fuller explained. "Could be an 800 number, could be a 202 number... And it will be the inspector." If you don't answer on the first three calls, they will move on to the next customer, she said.
If a homeowner does not qualify for FEMA funds, they can apply for SBA loans for damage as well - even for a personal home.
Raymond Bissonnette, a homeowner in the city, was among one of the first to stop by the makeshift relief center. All of his basement appliances were destroyed in six feet of rainy water. "No matter what kind of help that we get as Leominster residents, it's better than a week ago," he said. "A week ago, we had no hope."
Insurance prices could rise
Insurance experts say the flash flooding in Leominster is indicative of a problem impacting people nationwide and here in Massachusetts. With more frequent severe weather, insurance companies are starting to raise prices and be more selective with where they will provide coverage.
Locally, "the biggest concern is a hurricane loss," explained Patrick Dempsey, the Chair of the Board of Directors for the Massachusetts Association of Insurance Agents.
"What companies are seeing is the severity of losses is getting worse. So when these storms do hit, the costs to repair or pay back on the insurance policies is higher than they would anticipate," he explained.
That could lead to rising insurance costs, he said. "It's leading some companies to be much more selective, and in other cases it's leading them to be a little bit more harsh in the determinations of what properties they can insure, or what conditions might be too much for them to insure... if they're paying up more in claims than they're bringing in, they're not going to be useful to anyone, including their own customers. So, solvency is a real concern," he said.