FEMA BEGINS ASSESSMENT OF ICE STORM DAMAGE CONCORD, N.H.

For Immediate Release
Contact: Gregg Champlin
From the State Emergency Operations Center
603-223-3720

Personnel from the Federal Emergency Management Agency have arrived in New Hampshire at the request of Governor John H. Lynch and are scheduled to begin a Preliminary Damage Assessment Thursday, December 18, 2008 of damage from this week's ice storm.

Seven FEMA teams will be deployed, first in Hillsborough, Rockingham, Merrimack and Cheshire counties, other storm damaged areas will then be evaluated.

"This assessment is to determine the extent of damage in the state," said Christopher M. Pope, director of Homeland Security and Emergency Management. "They will be looking at the worst of the damage to the public infrastructure."
The information gathered by the inspectors will help to determine if the state will qualify for federal disaster aid.

"State and local officials who are familiar with the communities they will be visiting would accompany the federal teams," said Pope.
He stressed that this is only a preliminary assessment. No effort will be made to evaluate all storm damage in the state.

"The preliminary assessment is intended to get the flavor of the extent of damage and to document sufficient damage to qualify for federal disaster aid," Pope said. "A detailed assessment of all storm damage in the state will be conducted later, if New Hampshire is granted federal disaster aid."