Leominster

FEMA to assess Leominster flood aftermath, as storm recovery drags on

More than 1,000 residents with damaged private property have applied for FEMA assistance, according to Mayor Mazzarella

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A month after the devastating flooding that hit Leominster, Massachusetts, the cleanup process is still ongoing.

FEMA will be assessing the devastation in the central Mass. city, which still has a lot of damage left from the nine-inch rain.

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One home on Pleasant Street, for example, was still hanging over a large sinkhole Thursday. The street was partially inaccessible in the days after the rain.

Heavy rainfall caused severe flooding and extensive damage in Leominster last month.

The road has since reopened, and other infrastructure, such as two of the city's dams have been shored up and fixed, in addition to some bridges and railroad tracks.

Leominster Mayor Dean Mazzarella, though, admits the city is still months away from recovery.

Crews have been working to make repairs since last week's flooding.

Some residents say they aren't getting the help they need. One man said that he's hoping FEMA can do something about the sinkhole at his home, before winter potentially makes the situation worse.

“I’m not prepared for this," Moses Dejene said. "We reached out to the insurance which we provided to the city – we didn’t have to but we did just to make it clear that they’re not helping us out. They told us straight out that we don’t have flooding insurance. I didn’t think I ever needed flooding insurance here.”

More than 1,000 residents with damaged private property have applied for FEMA assistance, according to Mazzarella.

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