NH receives disaster declaration for July flooding

President Biden has approved a major disaster declaration for flooding and severe storms that hit New Hampshire this July.

That kind of declaration is available when the state tallies up more than $2.4 million in damage.

New Hampshire issued more flash flood warnings in July than it has during any other full year on record. After heavy rains washed out roads across the state, town officials in places that were most affected said the cost of repairs would be devastating for their budgets.

In Acworth alone, the town saw 32 roads wash out – the exact same roads they’d just repaired from storms two years ago.

Biden’s federal disaster declaration, which Gov. Chris Sununu requested in late August, opens up federal assistance for local governments and some nonprofits. In Sununu’s request, he says initial damage assessments from FEMA show more than $8.5 million in damages eligible for public assistance.

Help with repairing roads and other infrastructure is available in Belknap, Carroll, Cheshire, Coos, and Sullivan counties.

Climate change is increasing the threat of heavy rains and flooding in New Hampshire. The declaration makes help available for mitigating future hazards across the whole state.