PORTSMOUTH, N.H. -- The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) today announced that it has disbursed more than $2 million in federal aid to the State of New Hampshire. These funds are intended to help local communities recover from the severe winter storms that struck February 23 – March 3.
The violent storm system left more than 330,000 without power in the state and 1 million across the Northeast after high winds and rain lashed the region. On March 29, the president declared a major disaster in six counties providing federal support to assist in the cleanup.
“This was a difficult winter with the number of storms that hit the region,” said Nick Russo, federal coordinating officer for FEMA. “We continue to work with our state partners to help facilitate a speedy recovery.”
FEMA assists community recovery efforts through its Public Assistance (PA) program. This program provides funding to local governments and municipalities for costs incurred in disaster cleanup or emergency actions taken to protect lives or property; and for the repair, replacement, or restoration of public facilities.
“These types of events put an enormous strain on town budgets,” said Mike Poirier, state coordinating officer for the New Hampshire Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management (HSEM). “This assistance is critical to helping our communities recover in a timely manner.”
The federal share of eligible costs is at least 75 percent, while the remainder is split between the state and local government. The PA program is only activated following a presidential disaster declaration and provides grant assistance to applicants including state agencies, local governments, and certain nonprofit organizations.
FEMA’s PA program may only provide assistance for projects that are located in a disaster-declared area and are the legal responsibility of an eligible applicant. The program cannot provide assistance for projects that are under the jurisdiction of other federal agencies, such as roads and bridges that are a part of the federal highway system or facilities located on federal lands like wildlife refuges and national parks.
FEMA's mission is to support our citizens and first responders to ensure that as a nation we work together to build, sustain, and improve our capability to prepare for, protect against, respond to, recover from, and mitigate all hazards.