CONCORD - Gov. John Lynch today asked the Federal Emergency Management Agency to begin a preliminary damage assessment in all 10 counties to determine New Hampshire's eligibility for federal disaster relief.

"The flooding that occurred this week, and is still continuing, has caused major damage in many New Hampshire communities, impacting the lives of many of our citizens. I am asking FEMA to begin the preliminary damage assessment as soon as possible to determine New Hampshire's eligibility for a Presidential disaster declaration and disaster relief," Gov. Lynch said.

Gov. Lynch requested FEMA officials begin preliminary damage assessments of damage to state and local public infrastructure, as well as to assess whether New Hampshire will qualify for individual assistance for families impacted by flooding.

FEMA must conduct a preliminary damage assessment to ensure that federal damage guidelines are met before federal assistance is granted to the state. The state as a whole must meet federal thresholds in order to qualify for assistance. Individual counties, as well, must meet certain damage thresholds in order to qualify for assistance.

"Many New Hampshire communities have been overwhelmed by the flooding with countless roads damaged or impassable. Getting federal assistance will help our communities rebuild their infrastructure," Gov. Lynch said.

Gov. Lynch toured flooded areas in Goffstown and New Boston today, seeing firsthand the damage done to roads by the flooding of the Piscataquog River. This evening the Governor met with the staff of Emergency Operations Center to discuss the ongoing effects of the flooding.

There are currently about 400 state and local road closures across the state. Department of Transportation crews have been working steadily to repair state roads and the heavily damaged section of Route 4 in Nottingham was reopened Tuesday afternoon.

More than 300 National Guard members were on duty today assisting local towns with traffic control, sandbagging and evacuations.

As of Tuesday night, the number of customers without power in New Hampshire had decreased to 24,000, with crews from all utilities working to restore power.

The state Emergency Operations Center will remain open throughout the night to monitor the weather, river and dams across the state and to provide assistance to the state's communities.

For flood-related questions call the state's flood relief hotline at 1-800-458-2407.

# # #

April 17, 2007

Arthur Cleaves
Regional Director
FEMA, Region One
99 High Street
Boston, Massachusetts 02110

Dear Director Cleaves:

I am requesting that the Federal Emergency Management Agency conduct as quickly as possible a Preliminary Damage Assessment in the New Hampshire Counties of Belknap, Carroll, Cheshire, Coos, Grafton, Hillsborough, Merrimack, Rockingham, Strafford and Sullivan. If the losses are confirmed, I intend to request a Presidential Declaration of a Major Disaster for the impacted area.

My request is for an assessment of damage to determine the state's eligibility for Public Assistance, Individual Assistance, including the Small Business Administration Loan Program, and Hazard Mitigation. The State of New Hampshire has a standard state mitigation plan that was approved by FEMA on October 24, 2004. There are 139 FEMA approved local mitigation plans in the state. The state requests that the Hazard Mitigation Grant Program be made available statewide.

Heavy precipitation and winds during the period beginning April 15, 2007 and continuing, has caused serious flooding statewide. The National Weather Service reports heavy rainfall of 3-6 inches during the 24 hours prior to and during the flooding. At this time, reports from state and local officials in more than 100 communities statewide indicate extensive damage due to wind and coastal and inland flooding, resulting in a need for Federal assistance. Many local roads and bridges have been destroyed or badly damaged; residential properties have been flooded; dams have been damaged or destroyed; and several businesses have been severely damaged. Power and communication outages have been experienced in communities around the state.

Your assistance is requested for the purpose of determining the impact of the disaster. Please contact Michael Poirier, State Coordinating Officer, at 603-223-3639, if additional information is needed.

Sincerely,

John H. Lynch
Governor