September 25, 2001

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE….
Contact: Candace Ouillette Gaumond: 413.599.4785

CANDARAS ANNOUNCES TROPICAL STORM ALLISON EMERGENCY FUNDS RELEASED TO HARD HIT WESTERN MASS COMMUNITIES

Boston – House Ways and Means’ Chairman John Rogers (D-Norwood) notified State Representative Gale D. Candaras (D-Wilbraham) today that he was able to honor her request that $635,534 be included in the deficiency budget to compensate Western Massachusetts communities damaged by Tropical Storm Allison, which wreck havoc this past Father’s Day. On Friday, September 21, 2001, the deficiency budget that included this item was enacted into law releasing the needed emergency funds to the appropriate state agency that will distribute the monies to the designated cities and towns.

“Our western Massachusetts’ communities were hard hit by Allison and I felt that it was important for the state to assist with clean up and other costs caused by the storm,” stated Candaras.

Candaras’ office coordinated the emergency funding for five communities, all of which received the amounts requested. The damaged suffered by the cities and towns of Leominster, Princeton, Hampen, Monson, and Wilbraham far exceeded their local emergency response resources, both physically and financially. Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency (MEMA) will distribute $83,000 to Wilbraham, $76,000 to Hampden, $55,000 to Monson, $34,117 to Princeton, and $387,417 to Leominster.