flash floods

Flood damage forms needed

October 15, 2023 by pkzadmin

LEOMINSTER — The city is calling out to residents to fill out flood damage forms that may provide them with funds to cover damage caused by the Sept. 11-13 flooding, removing an earlier Sept. 29 deadline. Even if repairs have already been made, city officials say it’s still very important that residents or businesses submit the online forms for any damage sustained.

The city needs as much information as possible to determine if the county will be eligible for federal programs like FEMA and the Small Business Administration, according to the online damage form.

Mayor Dean Mazzarella said that people can disregard the Sept. 29 deadline that is still referenced in the online form, as there is no deadline now.

“[Fill out the form] as soon as possible, we need to reach a minimum and we can use everybody,” Mazzarella said.

In preparation for the cold weather, Mazzarella said that they are looking to assist the remaining residents with boilers and/or furnaces still damaged from the flood to ensure the utilities will be working by the winter.

As far as addressing all of the crucial roadways damaged from the flood, he said crews should be finishing up the last of the work soon.

“[Mechanic Street] is still one lane right now and that should be open by the end of this week,” said Mazzarella.

Below is the complete list of flood relief resources from the city of Leominster:

Cleanup and debris removal

AKS Transfer Station, 978-362-4012, Residents can bring stoves, washers, dryers, dishwashers, trash compactors and water heaters for free. Proof of residency is required. Refrigerators, freezers, air conditioners, dehumidifiers AND Microwaves cost approximately $40.

Electronic recycling

There are many recycling options for electronics in the area. Do not place these items at your curbside. AKS Recycling & Transfer Station will take TV sets and computer monitors for $39.50. Console TVs for $58. You can also call Raw Materials Recovery Corp. at 978-730- 8266 or Blue Knife Recycling at 978-906-5520 for pricing and options. BJ’s Wholesale has the cheapest tire disposal and Staples and Best Buy take electronics.

Bulk item pick up

Remember – Residents can put out 1 bulky item each week at the curb. This applies to the residents who receive curbside collection. This does not apply to apartment complexes, condominiums, and buildings that have 5 or more apartments, as well as mixed-use buildings.

Bulk Items are limited to upholstered and wooden furniture, mattresses, box springs, rolled rugs (less than 5-feet long and less than 50 pounds) and large plastic toys. This does not include metal or plastic furniture, pieces of wood or other construction and or demolition materials.

Residents may put out one bulk item per week with their rubbish and recycling. A mattress and box spring is one item, a table and chairs would also be considered to be one item. A couch, a stuffed chair, an ottoman or other large pieces are considered to be one item as well.

Legal Aid

Tenants should be contacting Legal Aid for questions regarding what their landlord is exactly responsible for. Below is Legal Aid’s contact information: Community Legal Aid, Fitchburg Office, 515 Main St., 3rd Floor. Our intake hours are Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, 9:30 a.m.-12:15 p.m. and Wednesday, 1:30-4:15 p.m.

For residents that prefer to call, they can reach us at (978) 516-5155. Leave them a message and they call you back. Online applications can be found at CommunityLegal.org/Get-Help.

Business Recovery

MassHire Rapid Response helps businesses and workers affected by disasters of all kinds. It responds immediately and coordinates with local governments, Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency (MEMA), Small Business Administration (SBA), and others. Phone is (617) 438-7841. Email is ken.messina@mass.gov, https://bit.ly/3r9Sbys.

Pet Support

MSPCA-Angell – Call or text to the Community Outreach Team at (617) 213-0961.

Food and clothing assistance

Ginny’s Helping Hand and Food Pantry and the Jay Moody HVAC team are collecting donations of non-perishable food, personal items, diapers and clothing. Anyone who has been impacted by the storms can go and pick up clothes or food for free.

Bring non-perishable food, personal items, diapers and clothing to Ginny’s at 52 Mechanic St.

To schedule a donation pickup of non-perishable food and diapers, call Jay Moody HVAC at (978) 534-9483 or email info@jaymoodyhvac.com.

Community members are also welcome to drop off non-perishable food and diapers at their office 7:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m. Monday to Friday at 40 Albert Drive, Leominster.

Other Resources

NorthCentralMass.com/Flood-Resources

Mass.gov/info-details/2023-flood-resources-for-residents-businesses

Regional bank donates $5K to flood relief

September 26, 2023 by pkzadmin

LEOMINSTER — Rollstone Bank & Trust donated $5,000 toward the flood relief fund started by the United Way of North Central Mass., who is matching every dollar donated up to $75,000.

With many Leominster residents in need, the United Way of North Central Mass. collaborated with city officials and the Community Foundation of North Central Mass. to open the “Leominster Flood Relief Fund” to provide financial assistance and supplies to residents impacted by the flash flooding on Sept. 11.

“We are grateful for Rollstone’s generous donation to the ‘Leominster Flood Relief Fund’, to help our citizens in need,” said Kory Eng, President and CEO of the United Way of North Central Mass. “Generous donations such as this one will go a long way in helping our residents through this crisis.”

The regional United Way has coordinated with the city to launch the fund, and through a collaboration with the Community Foundation, and the Greater Worcester Community Foundation,

Donations to the Leominster Flood Relief Fund, which was launched with the help of the Greater Worcester Community Foundation as well, will be matched dollar for dollar, up to $75,000. One hundred percent of donations given to the fund will go to support residents impacted by the flooding.

“It is important that in times such as this that our communities come together to assist those in need,” said Martin Connors Jr., President and CEO Rollstone Bank & Trust. “We are honored to contribute to the city of Leominster and provide aid to the residents that have lost so much in this flood.”

To learn more about the “Leominster Flood Relief Fund” or to make a donation, please visit uwncm.org/leominster-flood-relief or text FLOODRELIEF to 50155.

Editorial: Triple-teaming Leominster’s flood recovery

September 21, 2023 by pkzadmin

Assistance from public and private sources at the local, state and federal level continues to lift Leominster’s spirits, especially those residents directly impacted by the flood damage caused by Sept. 11’s deluge.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency has answered Leominster’s call for help after flood waters ravaged parts of the city, Mayor Dean Mazzarella said on a Facebook livestream on Monday.

Leominster was declared a federal disaster area by President Joe Biden, Mazzarella said.

Monday marked one week since that storm of biblical proportions dumped 11 inches of rain on the city within a few hours, causing massive flooding and widespread damage to city, business, and residential properties, roadways, and the commuter rail line.

“Now we kick into that process,” he said. “We’re getting familiar with that process, but right now the best thing that we could do is if you’ve sustained any kind of damage, is to fill out one of these forms that I’ll show you.”

Provided through the city website and the city’s Facebook page, the mayor advised that filling out FEMA forms doesn’t guarantee funding, but it does provide a way to reach everyone that has sustained flood damage.

Gov. Maura Healey had declared a state of emergency on Sept. 12, hours after she announced that she would ask for federal support.

Mazzarella had previously stated that it would cost from $25 million to $45 million to repair infrastructure damage caused by the extensive flooding, but that didn’t include the loss of personal property.

The FEMA disaster declaration allows residents and the municipality to seek federal aid to help rehab or replace items impacted by the estimated 11 inches of rain.

According to its website, FEMA provides two main types of assistance, individual and public, in the wake of major disasters such as hurricanes, tornadoes, straight-line winds, and flooding.

FEMA provides individual assistance to eligible individuals and households that have sustained losses that prompted a federal disaster declaration.

Homeowners and renters in officially designated counties who sustained damage to their homes, vehicles, personal property, businesses or inventory may apply for disaster assistance.

Assistance can include grants to help pay for temporary housing, emergency home repairs, uninsured and underinsured personal property losses, medical, dental and funeral expenses caused by the disaster, together with other serious disaster-related expenses.

Disaster assistance grants aren’t taxable income, nor will they affect eligibility for Social Security, Medicaid, medical waiver programs, welfare assistance, temporary assistance for needy families, food stamps, supplemental security Income, Social Security disability insurance or any other federal benefits.

As a FEMA partner, the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) offers low-interest disaster loans to businesses of all sizes, nonprofits, homeowners and renters, independent of benefits obtained from other agencies or organizations.

Public assistance can fund the repair, restoration, reconstruction or replacement of eligible public or certain nonprofit facilities or infrastructure damaged or destroyed by a disaster.

FEMA will provide a reimbursement grant of at least 75% of eligible costs, with the state and local governments sharing the remaining 25%.

However, residents must fill out those FEMA forms to be eligible for this generous federal assistance.

“A lot of people lost everything. Not only did people lose things that are important to them, they lost space,” Mazzarella said in reference to flooded finished basements.

The mayor also mentioned that “some people may qualify for a Community Development Block Grant,” and that the city will be setting up an event to provide information on relief resources available.

And some of that assistance also emanates from a regional agency well known for its compassion and generosity.

Through its economic-development arm, the North Central Mass. Chamber of Commerce announced Friday that it will provide emergency loans to mitigate flood damage incurred by businesses in Leominster and other local communities.

The North Central Mass. Development Corp.’s North Central Emergency Relief Loan program will provide up to $10,000 with a 1% interest rate and all fees waived for eligible businesses, and offers an expedited approval process with a quick closing.

Loans are available for up to six months of interest-only or deferred payments, then up to a 36-month repayment term with no pre-payment penalty.

Businesses meeting the loan program criteria can expect to receive funding within two weeks of a completed application.

To be eligible for the North Central Emergency Relief Loan program, businesses must have been in operation at the time of the disaster, with funding utilized for losses caused by the flooding in North Central Massachusetts and for flood remediation expenses.

“Should businesses incur expenses above and beyond this loan, we can work with them using our traditional loan programs and full underwriting practices,” said Roy Nascimento, president and CEO of the North Central Massachusetts Chamber and North Central Massachusetts Development Corporation.

As Mayor Mazzarella previously stated, there are no quick fixes for a disaster of this scale, but with local, state and federal support, the recovery timeline can be accelerated.

Blue Devils field hockey team aims to make a difference

September 14, 2023 by pkzadmin

LEOMINSTER — Just days ago, it would have been unimaginable that any sports would played anytime soon after Leominster was completely flipped upside down following downpours that devastated homes, roads and bridges in the city.

As with other trying times, people turn to sports as an outlet. And as Leominster has done before, the community and its leaders have shown how strong they and the place they call home are.

“I grew up here. It’s a different city,” said Leominster High athletic director Dave Palazzi prior to Thursday’s field hockey tilt against Nashoba Regional at Doyle Field. “We have remarkable people in the city from our mayor to our superintendent to our teachers. We have the attitude that we can come back from anything. We work together and we look after each other. It is not just a cliché. I think people really care about each other in this city.”

When Leominster took the field for its first field hockey game in nine days, emotions ran high. Third-year coach Kate Phillips was one of the individuals who spearheaded the idea to raise money at the gate for the Leominster Relief Fund, intended to go directly to families in need.

Phillips has had ties to Leominster for the last 19 years as a fifth-grade teacher at the Frances Drake School.

“I was at a meeting with a bunch of other teachers at the high school when all the rain started,” Phillips said. “I called my husband and told him that this was like nothing else and that I didn’t even know if I should be driving right now.”

Once Phillips got home, she immediately started to think about her players that were still in town dealing with the torrential rain that had crippled the town.

“A bunch of kids had flooding in their basements,” Phillips said. “Some kids six inches, some kids eight inches and some kids 10 inches. I do have one student-athlete who has lost access to her house because one of the bridges collapsed, so she can’t get in right now. Regardless, it is an emotional time for everyone.”

For Palazzi, things have been crazy but not unmanageable.

“Unfortunately, we have a little bit of experience of planning everything on the fly after the pandemic,” Palazzi said. “We have great coaches, administration from the top and the city is like no other. They all work with us to get the kids back on the field as soon as possible.”

Yesterday, Phillips was able to get a practice in after a few days off prior to Thursday night’s game.

“Like I said, I think sports in any field or court or whatever you are in, there are more life-lessons in sports than there is anything else,” Phillips said. “I am a firm believer in that, and this is one of them. They are blessed to be able to come out here in their colors and represent their town and community.”

While sports play such a big part in these student-athlete’s lives, Palazzi admits that the safety of the community that he grew up in certainly took center stage.

“Obviously, when you think about athletics it is a great thing for our kids. But when you put things into perspective with families losing homes and being displaced, that is number one on our minds. We are just glad that nobody got hurt. Some people are without their homes, which is way we decided to do this relief game to help anyone that we can.”

All money raised at the game will be donated to families in town that are in need through the Leominster Relief Fund set up by Mayor Dean Mazzarella.

At the conclusion of the game, the visiting Wolves showed that sometimes there are things more important than what goes on between the lines. Nashoba presented the Leominster field hockey program with a monetary donation and several bags of food and snacks to aid with the Leominster Relief Fund.

“That is a very classy program over there at Nashoba. They gave us an envelope to donate to the relief fund on behalf of the entire team. They also made bread and cookies and all kinds of food. There’s enough food there to feed every Leominster team,” said Phillips. “Coach (Jaime) Mariani came over and said they wanted to make sure we had some fun stuff to eat. Kudos to her and to her team. That’s a first class move from a great coach and a great program.”

Correspondent Michael James LeClair contributed to this story.

Editorial: Rain-walloped Leominster will rebound

September 13, 2023 by pkzadmin

The Twin Cities have received more than their share of precipitation this soggy summer, but nothing comes close to the incessant storms that battered the area on Monday.

Inundated by rain, Leominster continues to assess the damage from that torrential outburst, which spawned extensive flooding that damaged schools, washed away roads, and prompted evacuations across the city.

Because of the widespread flooding damage, Leominster city officials declared a state of emergency.

According to the National Weather Service, by 10 p.m. Monday, 6 to 9 inches of rain had pummeled the city, a total that likely reached double digits by the time the deluge ceased.

Tuesday morning, Leominster residents living near the Barrett Park Pond Dam were told to evacuate.

“This particular dam is one that we’re actually about to replace and it is very sensitive,” explained Mayor Dean Mazzarella.

And people living in low-lying areas of the Fall Broom tributary to Fall Brook along Central Street, Fall Brook and the North Nashua River were also told they “should immediately evacuate and safely leave the area.”

As of Tuesday morning, about 100 people were taking shelter at Skyview Middle School and Frances Drake Elementary, according to city officials. Hovercrafts and boats were used throughout the night to get people to safety.

There were at least 14 roads closed as of Tuesday morning. The Route 13 bridge, which the mayor said handles about 26,000 cars per day, is closed. The flooding also caused Route 2 to shut down temporarily in both directions Monday night.

Fortunately, no fatalities had been reported as of Tuesday morning, just people with minor injuries.

A cleanup of this magnitude will take time. As the mayor warned, this isn’t a “typical storm that we will bring the street sweepers out and everything will be cleaned in a couple of days.”

We trust that the state will provide Leominster with the resources it needs to meet the challenges it faces to repair key infrastructure, and to get the residents of this resilient city back on their feet.