MEMA officials are currently in every community that was hit by the tornadoes.
WEST SPRINGFIELD – Kurt Schwartz, Director of the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency, toured the city shelter set up at the Eastern States Exposition grounds on Wednesday.
Schwartz said agency officials are currently in every community that was hit by the tornadoes on June 1.
“MEMA has been in all the affected communities since Wednesday night,” Swartz said.
He credited individual communities for their efforts in getting people into shelters and cleaning up debris on the street.
“These communities have done an incredible job of first dealing with immediate life safety issues, conducting search and rescue, providing shelter, getting food and water to people and more,” he said.
Schwartz said agency officials are currently quantifying the impact of the tornadoes.
“We do that by looking at the number of people displaced in shelters. We are out counting every home that’s been damaged and labeling it minor, moderate, major, destroyed. We are counting the businesses that were damaged or destroyed and we are looking at what the cost is going to be to government to replace public infrastructure, and handle the debris,” he said.
The reports of the damage will be presented to Gov. Deval Patrick in the next few days, and he will submit it to the president, Schwartz said.
Schwartz said if the president declares counties to be in a state of emergency, then they become eligible for federal disaster programs and funds.
“Some of those programs will reimburse communities up to 75 percent of the eligible costs of removing debris off public property and other cleanup efforts,” he said. “Individuals who need help getting back into their homes or need to make emergency repairs will also be eligible for federal money. They will register with the Federal Emergency Management Agency and they will start getting benefits if they are eligible,” he said.
He said there is no limit on the amount of funds available.
“If we are eligible then cities will be reimbursed 75 percent of what they spent no matter what the cost,” he said.