By Killian Maree
For the North Star Reporter
The Federal Emergency Management Agency is in North Attleborough offering aid to people who were affected by a storm that devastated the region last September.
On September 11, 2023, a storm swept through North Attleborough and left over 200 homes with damage caused by the flooding. Anyone in the Bristol and Worcester counties of Massachusetts are eligible for federal aid if they were damaged by the flood.
Originally, FEMA denied a disaster declaration and claimed that the severity of the damage was not above the capabilities of the state. President Joe Biden overturned the decision in May.
If one was to apply for disaster assistance, a FEMA inspector may contact you to set up a home inspection to verify the flood-related damage. According to the FEMA Fact Sheet on how to identify a FEMA inspector, all FMEA inspectors must display official identification.
Kim Fuller, a spokesperson for FEMA, said that a mistake people make is that they think that other people in the community might need the aid more than they. Fuller encourages anyone who might have damage from the storm in September to reach out. So far, $2 million has been awarded to Worcester and Bristol counties, and about half of that is already in bank accounts.
Six hundred homes have been visited by Disaster Survivor Assistance Canvassers in Bristol County and 1,635 in Worcester County.
A Disaster Recovery Center has also been opened for people who would prefer to talk to someone about their damages face-to-face. The DRC is located at Bristol Community College and will be open Monday to Friday from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.
“We’ll be here as long as we are needed. Which could be months, years, but often we transition things to our regional office in Cambridge who is always here,” said Fuller. “But we’ll have door-to-door for a few weeks to a month and if needed, longer, and the disaster recovery centers at least till the registration deadline which is usually a month or so if it isn’t extended. We want to make sure we get to everyone that needs assistance.”
Call 1-800-621-3362 for answers to questions about disaster assistance.
