....................480 Adams Street, Suite #208, Milton Massachusetts, USA • 617.696.7758
 
 
 
 

Town Deals with
Cost of Flood Damage

By Kathy Kurtz Ferrari
Staff Writer
3/25/10
In the wake of the storm that poured almost 10 inches of rain on Milton from March 13 through 15, residents are beginning to cope with the damage and tally up the losses.

Without flood insurance, many residents are still waiting to see what their out-of-pocket expenses will be to recover from the damage the floodwaters left behind.

The Department of Public Works has added extra trash pickup days this week and the week of March 29 through April 3, allowing residents to place bulk items at curbside for pickup, such as carpeting and furniture. The bulk item pickup day will be the day following regular trash pickup. According to town officials, bulk items may be weighed to assess how much was damaged throughout the town. Stickers will still be required on each bulk item for pickup.

No electronic equipment will be accepted, but an extra day has been added at the recycling center at the DPW yard, located at 629 Randolph Ave. The center will be open on Saturday, March 27, as well as Saturday, April 3, from 9 a.m. to noon. Residents may drop off electronics such as televisions, computers and other electronic equipment damaged by the storm.

On March 19, Town Administrator Kevin Mearn met with representatives from the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency, Rep. Walter Timilty, and other state officials and town department heads to discuss flood damage in the town.

“They are here to do site inspections, collecting information on houses in more damaged areas,” Mearn explained by phone on the day of the meeting. “They will then report to the governor, and the governor files a report at the federal level to see what assistance the state may receive.”

According to Mearn, each county is being checked, and if certain thresholds are met, there may be assistance coming from the Federal Emergency Management Agency. If FEMA funds become available, a 75 percent reimbursement can be expected.

“I think considering the damage in parts of Quincy alone, Norfolk County may already be over that threshold,” Mearn said. He added that hundreds of homes were impacted in Milton.

“Some homes in part of town had significant damage, some with 4 to 5 feet of water in the basement, some with water all the way up to the first floor,” he added.

Paula Rizzi, secretary in the Selectmen’s office, said a family from Garden Street had come in to Town Hall to find out how to get help from the town after having their entire home engulfed by water.

“That family lost everything,” Rizzi said.

Residents are also encouraged to call 211, the state’s 24-hour hotline to report damage to their homes. The hotline is operated by The United Way, and seeks to put state residents’ names and addresses on a list to help assess damage done throughout the area. The list will help to determine the extent of damage as the state looks for federal funds.

“Right now they will keep assessing to see how much damage was done,” Mearn said. “Those folks are here to assess, along with the DPW, the Fire Department and others to see if there may be some funding available from MEMA and FEMA.”

Selectmen announced at their March 18 meeting that the public schools have teamed up with the Council on Aging to help seniors affected by the flood. Contact the school superintendent’s office at (617) 696-4808 or the COA at (617) 898-4893.

For more information, visit www.townofmilton.org and click on “Special Trash Collection” on the home page.