The Federal Emergency Management Agency has denied New Hampshire's appeal for a major disaster declaration for April flooding in the North Country, saying the impact "is not of the severity and magnitude that warrants" such a declaration.
Gov. Maggie Hassan had asked for funding assistance to help Carroll and Coos counties and hazard mitigation statewide. In her appeal letter to FEMA, she said current state and local FEMA-verified assessments exceeded $1.9 million, exceeding the thresholds needed to receive federal assistance.
She said in particular, a damaged bridge in Columbia and a major culvert failure in Conway have put a significant strain on people, neighborhoods and businesses. She said replacement projects could be financially devastating to the local governments.
