Heavy rain last Tuesday (8/8/23) caused significant flooding across eastern Massachusetts, with communities in the Merrimack Valley region experiencing among the highest rainfall totals in the State. Impacts from the storm have been widespread with damage to vehicles, homes, and businesses across several of our municipalities. In times such as these, municipalities may choose to rely on the Massachusetts and Federal Emergency Management Agency to receive compensation for losses. Multiple communities within the region are currently pursuing funding to remediate impacted properties:

Haverhill

In Haverhill, Mayor Fiorentini has declared a State of Emergency following this storm. In order to be eligible for State and Federal compensation to remediate impacted properties, the City must document a specific dollar amount for the damages. If your home or business incurred damages from last week’s storm – including water or flooding damage – please visit the city or the police website to download and complete the Post Flood Damage Claim Form. All forms must be submitted by Thursday, August 17th. The City cannot guarantee financial assistance will be provided, but they are working hard to ensure funding is received to make repairs. For this effort to be successful, Haverhill needs more claims to qualify for emergency aid. If you have storm damage, please complete the form linked above.

The City of Haverhill is also encouraging residents or business owners who may still have water in their basement from the storm to please call fire dispatch at 978-373-3833 so the Fire Department can schedule an inspection/assessment of your home or business to make sure it is safe.  

North Andover 

Due to flooding caused by the major rain event last Tuesday, the Town of North Andover declared a local state of emergency.  The Town is actively working with the State and the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency (MEMA) to have the Town authorized to receive disaster assistance programs from the State and federal government.  To seek this designation, North Andover must understand the value of the property damage to the community and is asking residents and businesses to keep an accounting of their losses and expenses and to submit those via this form by Thursday, August 17. The Town cannot guarantee financial assistance will be provided, but they are working hard to ensure funding is received to make repairs.  

At the Merrimack Valley Planning Commission, we encourage community members and municipalities to take advantage of disaster relief funding following this significant flood event, and to engage both at the municipal and regional level in hazard mitigation planning to prepare for impactful events such as these.  

Regional Resources

For additional information on submitting damage claims and accessing resources on flooding across the MV region, please see the holistic post that WeAreMV has shared on their website: Merrimack Valley Flooding – Merrimack Valley (wearemv.com)