Trump Approves Disaster Assistance for New Hampshire

August 15, 2017

President Donald Trump on Wednesday issued a major disaster declaration for New Hampshire and will provide federal emergency assistance following severe storms that hit the state last month.

The storms dropped more than an inch of rain per hour. About 60 roads were damaged, about a dozen homes were surrounded by water and about 600 people evacuated from campgrounds. Most of the damage was in Grafton County.

New Hampshire authorities say initial damage assessments from last weekend’s storms and flooding are in excess of $11.5 million.

In a statement on Wednesday, Trump ordered federal assistance to supplement state and local recovery efforts on a cost-sharing basis for emergency work and the repair and replacement of damaged facilities in Grafton County. The statement did not say how much assistance would be provided.

“Through this major disaster declaration, those most heavily impacted by the storm can have access to federal support for response efforts,” Gov. Chris Sununu, a Republican, said Wednesday. “I thank President Trump for his timely response to my request.”

Democratic Sen. Maggie Hassan urged the Trump administration to distribute the funding as quickly as possible so that those living in affected communities “have the resources they need to fully recover from this emergency.”

Homeland Security and Emergency Management Director Perry Plummer said officials will be contacting emergency management directors in Grafton County to provide meeting dates, information about the application process, and to assist with applications.

Topics New Hampshire

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