CONCORD - Gov. John Lynch announced today the state is asking the Federal Emergency Management Agency to make Coos County communities eligible for federal assistance to repair damage caused by the April Nor'easter.

On April 27, President Bush granted Gov. Lynch's request to make New Hampshire communities and families eligible for federal disaster assistance to recover from the recent floods. The Governor had requested the president declare a disaster in all 10 counties, however the declaration excluded Coos County, making public assistance available for Belknap, Carroll, Cheshire, Grafton, Hillsborough, Merrimack, Rockingham, Strafford and Sullivan counties.

"Last month's storm caused severe damage to local infrastructure in parts of Coos County, putting severe strain on local communities. I am hopeful these communities will be eligible for assistance so they can get help to rebuild their roads and bridges," Gov. Lynch said.

FEMA offers two primary types of assistance, public assistance - which helps the state and communities cover emergency operations, debris removal and repair costs; and individual assistance - which provides some emergency assistance to individuals, such as for temporary housing, and will cover some - but not usually all - costs of the damage.

The president's declaration made individual assistance and Small Business Administration assistance available for five counties - Grafton, Hillsborough, Merrimack, Rockingham, and Strafford counties.

According to the state Office of Emergency Management, flooding caused by April Nor'easter affected over 1,000 homes, of which 51 homes were left uninhabitable and 200 suffered major damage. In many cases, the owners of these affected homes were just completing repairs from the flooding that occurred in last year's Mother's Day floods. FEMA has processed more than 1,000 applications and approved over $1 million in assistance, but only five applicants have received the maximum grant ($28,200).

So far, 273 New Hampshire citizens have visited Disaster Recovery Centers seeking assistance from various agencies for damage not covered by FEMA and that number is expected to increase.

Gov. Lynch will kick-off a telethon on WMUR-TV tonight at 5 p.m., to help raise money for the New Hampshire Disaster Relief Fund.

Donations can also be made to the relief fund online at www.nh.gov, or by sending a check to:

State of New Hampshire, Disaster Relief
25 Capitol Street, Room 121
Concord, NH 03301

People with flood-related questions or concerns can call the state's flood relief hotline at 1-800-458-2407. The hotline cannot take applications for assistance.