Trump grants disaster relief to Grafton County

CONCORD — Gov. Chris Sununu announced on Friday that President Donald Trump has granted his request for a major disaster declaration for Grafton County in response to the severe rain and flash flooding that occurred on July 11-12.

"At the peak of the incident, rapid flash flooding occurred with little warning that prompted a significant swift water rescue effort, washed out road infrastructure in ten communities, and significantly strained State and local resources," Sununu said.

"I thank President Trump for his timely response to my request. Through this major disaster declaration, those most heavily impacted by the storm can have access to federal support for response efforts."

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), working with state and local emergency management officials, recently completed a preliminary damage assessment, finding that the statewide cost for response efforts related to the event exceeded $2,882,518.

The greatest damage occurred in Orange, Groton, and Canaan. Groton sustained $516,230 in FEMA-verified damages, according to the state. 

“[T]he estimated cost of this disaster represents over half of their operating budget and is over three times their annual road budget,” Sununu wrote in his request for a disaster declaration.

Prior to the July storms, Groton had been seeking a cash advance from the state to complete recovery efforts from an earlier storm that occurred in October 2017.

The president's declaration also makes federal support available through the Hazard Mitigation Grant Program on a cost-sharing basis for hazard mitigation measures statewide, as well as through the Public Assistance Program.

The Hazard Mitigation Grant Program aims to reduce the loss of life and property due to natural disasters and to enable the implementation of mitigation measures during the immediate recovery from a disaster. FEMA can fund up to 75 percent of the eligible costs of approved projects.

The Public Assistance Program provides grants to state and local governments to assist with disaster recovery, including debris removal, emergency protective measures, and permanent restoration of infrastructure.

"We are very pleased to receive this declaration," Homeland Security and Emergency Management Director Jenn Harper said. "We will be reaching out to emergency management directors within Grafton County to provide meeting dates, information about the application process, and to assist with applications."

In response of the storm, Governor Sununu activated the State Emergency Operations Center on July 11. The heavy rainfall over a short period of time, along with damaging winds, caused severe damage to local and state roadways and dozens of bridges and culverts.