Federal disaster area in Westport?

State MEMA looks into impacts, and whether Westport qualifies for federal assistance

By Ted Hayes
Posted 1/25/24

State emergency management officials are looking into whether towns including Westport are eligible for federal disaster assistance, following back to back storms that ravaged the coast and low-lying …

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Federal disaster area in Westport?

State MEMA looks into impacts, and whether Westport qualifies for federal assistance

Posted

State emergency management officials are looking into whether towns including Westport are eligible for federal disaster assistance, following back to back storms that ravaged the coast and low-lying areas in mid-January.

The storms, which hit Wednesday and Saturday, Jan. 10 and 13, followed a storm one week before Christmas — all three caused significant damage to East Beach Road, East Beach, and many of the 100 seasonal trailer lots that line the road from Gooseberry Island to Horseneck. Flooding damage also occurred at Westport Point and both branches of the Westport River, as far north as the Head of Westport on the East Branch.

Last week, the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency began an initial damage assessment process to determine whether federal disaster assistance is warranted as a result of the second and third storms. The first, in December, was not included in the MEMA notice.

MEMA officials want residents from across the Commonwealth to respond to a survey detailing how the storm impacted them, and though the form states that the response deadline ended Tuesday, Jan. 23, Westport Emergency Management Diretor Daniel Baldwin said Thursday that that is incorrect — the deadline to fill out the survey is actually Friday, Jan. 26, he said.

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