Winchester Could Receive Federal Disaster Aid

Winchester could be getting some federal disaster aid for its snow and ice removal during the January snowstorm.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) announced this week that federal disaster aid was made available to Massachusetts for local recovery efforts in counties struck by the snowstorm of January 11 and 12. 

The federal funding will be available to eligible local governments and certain nonprofits on a cost-sharing basis, according to a FEMA news release Monday; the funding will be provided for Norfolk, Middlesex, Suffolk, Essex, Hampshire and Berkshire counties.

FEMA will also be providing assistance to eligible local governments on a cost-sharing basis for certain emergency protective measures, according to Monday's news release. Those measures include snow assistance for a continuous 48-hour period during or close to the time period of the January storm for all six counties, which can receive assistance for a period of 72 hours.

“The municipal budget could be reimbursed from only the overtime expenses occurred during that storm,” said John Nash, who is the town’s FEMA representative. “The FEMA reimbursement is only tied to that 48-hour period during the storm, and it’s strictly for the overtime.”

According to Nash, Winchester could be reimbursed for 75 percent of its overtime costs during that storm.

This winter season has been especially difficult on the snow and ice removal budget, which was originally set at $400,000. But according to DPW Business Manager, LeeAnn McGahan, the town has spent nearly $150K more than that this season.

“In the January snowstorm we spent $22,500 in overtime and then three days later we spent another $4,600 in snow removal,” McGahan said.

That $27,000 will be combined with any overtime incurred by the police and fire departments during the storm. The total amount Winchester would be eligible to be reimbursed for would be determined sometime next week, after the police and fire look at how much they spent on overtime.

According to Nash, the town typically receives approximately $60K in reimbursements for federal disaster aid.

But even though Winchester will be getting some much-needed financial assistance, McGahan said that money probably won’t be seen for a little while.

“Last year, with those March storms, we received $48,000 from FEMA,” McGahan said. “And we just received that money last week. And that money goes back to the general fund; the DPW doesn’t see it. Whatever reimbursement we get from this storm, we can expect to see it a year later.”