Trump approves disaster declaration after Carroll County floods

President Donald Trump approved New Hampshire Gov. Kelly Ayotte’s request for a major disaster declaration after storms and flooding affected Carroll County on June 10–11, the governor’s office announced Oct. 8. The state says affected communities may seek federal assistance.

The approval announcement followed an earlier denial. WMUR reported Aug. 7 that FEMA had denied funding for cleanup related to the June flooding and that New Hampshire said it disagreed and planned to appeal. The Conway Daily Sun reported Oct. 8 that approval came after an initial denial and appeal, attributing that account to state Sen. Mark McConkey.

Ayotte had requested the declaration after the flooding, New Hampshire Public Radio reported July 9. The October announcement marks a change from that request stage: the governor’s office said the president had granted it.

Communities and eligible applicants

The governor’s office identifies affected Carroll County communities, including Madison and Edelweiss Village, as able to seek assistance. It lists local, county and state agencies, along with nonprofits that provide critical services, as eligible applicants. The announcement does not identify individual households as applicants.

The state’s announcement describes a process for those public agencies and qualifying nonprofits to pursue assistance; it does not say that money has already been distributed. It also does not provide final federal obligations, awards for particular projects or an application deadline. Those details matter to communities and organizations assessing whether to apply, because the statewide assessment figure is not a statement of what any one applicant will receive.

New Hampshire’s Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management, or HSEM, said it would contact affected communities to arrange application briefings. The state says the briefings will be offered in person and online. It did not announce a date for the sessions.

Assessment measures statewide response costs

The governor’s office said FEMA, working with state and local emergency-management officials, completed a preliminary damage assessment. It put statewide response costs at $3,122,573.04. That figure is an assessment of response costs, not a federal award or a project-level allocation.

The assessment covers response costs across New Hampshire, while the declaration announcement concerns flooding in Carroll County. The statewide amount therefore should not be read as the sum available to Madison, Edelweiss Village or another particular applicant. The state has identified the assessment and the categories of organizations that may seek aid; the amount and timing of any eventual assistance for an applicant remain unspecified in the announcement.