NH Gov. Chris Sununu announced Thursday that he has asked President Joe Biden to declare July's flooding in Cheshire County and elsewhere in the state a major disaster eligible for federal relief funding.
Sununu said in his Wednesday letter to the president that severe weather from July 9-17 overwhelmed state and local resources in Cheshire, Sullivan, Hillsborough, Belknap, Carroll, Coos, Grafton, Merrimack and Rockingham counties.
More than 10 inches of rain fell on already saturated ground in many parts of the state during that period, triggering flash floods, the National Weather Service reported.
“As a direct result of the incident, roads throughout the state were undermined, roadside shoulders, ditches, and adjacent slopes were washed away,” the governor wrote.
“State and local culverts, pipe headwalls, and other drainage structures were overwhelmed with water and debris causing damage or complete destruction to the drainage system and surrounding areas and infrastructure.”
In the Monadnock Region, flood waters damaged several roads and inundated recreational areas near U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ reservoirs.
“According to data from the National Weather Service, there were 38 flash flood warnings in the month of July, which is more than any full year on record,” Sununu said in the letter.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency maintains a disaster relief fund to repair public infrastructure, mitigate hazards and assist survivors.
The governor sent a separate letter to the state’s congressional delegation Thursday asking that they support Biden’s Aug. 10 request for $12 billion in emergency spending to replenish that fund, which is nearing depletion after dozens of storms and wildfires across the country this year.
Rick Green can be reached at RGreen@KeeneSentinel.com or 603-355-8567.
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