Governor Tours Flood Damage

By Dan Gorenstein on Tuesday, October 11, 2005.

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Governor John Lynch is waiting to hear whether FEMA will help cover the cost of recent flooding across the state.

In the meantime, he spent much of Monday touring the state's hardest hit sites.

New Hampshire Public Radio's Dan Gorenstein reports.

Governor Lynch could count on three things yesterday in the southwestern part of the state: detours on back country roads, big orange Department of Transportation vehicles rushing here and there and rain.

The Governor's visit included stops in Ackworth, Alstead and Hinsdale.

In Hinsdale Police chief Wayne Gallagher gave the governor an on site assessment of the damage.

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:12 I have 61 households on that side of the break that we are responsible for...adn this is a major concern of ours...I have had an officer here 24 hours here, and we have an ATV on that side, and that's how we service those people...right now we are putting a foot path, but we are looking to see how long it's going to be before we can get vehicles through here...and how do you reach them now...we walk right down there.

Sfx: water rushing

That rush is the sound of what Chief Gallagher normally calls a brook.

But yesterday the water was tearing through the little gully, past work crews pulling out whole trees.

Gallagher says over the weekend logs, rocks, and other debris started damning up underneath the bridge.

Then the water started to swell, spilling over the bridge, effectively crushing the road, damaging the foundation of two homes, and trashing a third.

:42 what I can see here is the underside of the fisrt floor. The building is on its side, toppled over, there is no recognizable features to determine what kind of house it was.

1:00 it kind of gives you the idea of something in Baghdad...

As of right now, some 1000 people have evacuated their homes, three are confirmed dead, and tens of vehicles and homes have been destroyed.

The governor declared a state of emergency and activated about 500 New Hampshire National Guard.

As Lynch criss-crossed Sullivan and Cheshire counties, National Guard Colonel Steve Burritt says those troops were busy.

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:10 we are supporting Keene with soldiers working checkpoints on roads that are closed, assisting the fire department, pumping out of basements and other wet areas, we have some soldiers up in Alstead working on traffic control...and we also have soldiers in Walpole doing the same thing.

Lynch also made a quick stop to the shelter in Keene.
As of Monday afternoon, about 25 people anxiously waited for the city to permit the residents to return home.

But for some, like Robin, returning home meant going back to a different place.

1:40 all my storage in the basement is gone...all my personal documents, all my records, all my kids general toys, my Christmas stuff...the documents are completely irreplaceable, the kids pictures are irreplaceable.

The state has applied for federal disaster assistance, awaiting a FEMA audit that will decide whether New Hampshire is eligible for federal assistance.

The Department of Transportation has identified projects that require private contractors.

Lynch says the state has about 50 million dollars in its aptly-named rainy day fund.

But he says it's premature to put a price tag on the damage.

In part, that's because costs go beyond what is needed in the near future.

4:43 I did run into one woman in Hinsdale who wasn't sure where she was going to be in a week. She was able to secure temporary accommodations, her home has been destroyed, she needs a place to live after the next week.

State and local officials as well as area residents are nervous about the weather.

Forecasts are calling for more rain.

For NHPR News, I'm DG.