Alstead Seeks State Aid

The state reports 43 residences in Alstead are condemned.

Another ten or so are in such rough shape, they'll be joining the list soon.

That means more than 50 families are bunking up with neighbors, friends or relatives in and around southwestern New Hampshire.

Alstead selectmen Matt Saxton says the flood has turned people's lives inside out.

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3:50 all their things are gone. Their house is gone. Their property is gone. They can't build back there. They can't think aboiut that. They are in something that is warm and dry...and thank god for that...but it's not home. They want home. And if we can get them the value they've lost on their real estate, they can create their home again. What they are in right now, they have to think is temporary.

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Sfx: governor meeting with people.

Saxton and the town's other selectmen met with Governor John Lynch and his staff.

Alstead, by far the community hardest hit by the October floods, has already received tens of thousands of dollars in aid.

But the Alstead delegation has came to tell the governor the town is a few million dollars short.

:29 door closes

Almost an hour later, Saxton emerged from the governor's office.

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Sfx: door opening closing.

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1:33 what we told the governor is that we have this problem that will take about 3 million to fix. How do we get there?

That estimate comes from totaling the assessed property value of the uninhabitable or washed away homes, minus the aid expected to continue coming in.

1:45 he said that might be a lot to expect, and we should be careful about raising people's expectations that they will in fact be reimbursed for the full value of their properties.

On average, each family has seen anywhere from $100,000-$150,000 in land and home damages.

But before any checks do or don't get cut, the state is planning to calculate the property damage.

Emergency Management Director Bruce Chenney.

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2:03 we want coordinator to look at the people with the greatest need to do an assessment of those needs, quickly. The dollars needed. What insurance do they have? What other sources of income might they have? In the end, what are their needs, taking into account what already exists.

The assessment plan is quintessential Yankee- reach out to those in need, but itemize every penny of aid from elsewhere because nobody should profit from this deal.

Another plan in the works comes from Representative Dan Eaton.

He has just introduced legislation that would have the state purchase the affected property at assessed values, again minus the cumulative aid already received.

The bill also calls for a Commission to study whether to turn the land into some type of park or greenway.

Eaton believes the measure has legs.

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2:06 I would say getting unanimous support out of the rules committee-which is both the Republican and Democratic leadership out of the House is there. That's a start. And I've gotten phone calls from all over the state from folks who are generally very fiscally conservative who are enthusiastically supporting the concept.

If lawmakers do want to send more money to Alstead residents, funds are available.

The state is currently sitting on about a 50 million dollar surplus.

House Majority leader Mike O'Neil says he wants to get a handle on the dollar need first before he signs off on any plan.

But he says his heart goes out to those who have suffered.

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2:13 ... We have said, our first priority for the surplus, which is approximately 50 million, was to put that money in the rainy day fund. But it's there for emergency type things. And there are two emergency type things we are facing. One is an energy crisis...and the other is what happened over in the southwestern part of the state.

Alstead selectman Matt Saxton says he's optimistic.

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6:01... I believe there is enough money. I am not going to demand it come from anywhere in particular. Somewhere there is enough money. Somewhere the people involved in this meeting can find a combination of resources to make this happen.

State emergency management officials are expected to start conducting property value assessments in the next 7-10 days.

For NHPR News, I'm DG.