Leominster continues to rebuild one year after historic flooding

LEOMINSTER, Mass. — One year after catastrophic flooding ravaged parts of Leominster, a lot of work and a need for funding remain.

Mayor Dean Mazzarella recalled the momentous event for the city on the first anniversary of the floods in an interview with Boston 25 News Wednesday.

“It’s something you can’t imagine,” Mazzarella said of the toll of the storm. “There were [collapsed] walls, there were flooded basements, businesses, bridges collapsing. It was everything all at once.”

Mazzarella watched a dumpster float down a street that looked more like a river. The city’s flooded emergency management office had fish inside it from the nearby brook.

But what stands out most to Mazzarella is what thankfully didn’t happen a year ago.

“Once I saw this firsthand, there is no way we’re not going to have loss of life. There’s just no way,” Mazzarella recalled thinking. “Too much is going on too fast. That water is just coming way too fast.”

While there were no deaths, there was a lot of damage to homes, businesses and infrastructure.

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A year later, a home on Pleasant Street remains vacant, waiting to be torn down. Temporary repairs to bridges on Exchange Street and Mechanic Street await permanent fixes.

“It’s safe. I want to stress that. It’s safe,” Mazzarella said of the Mechanic Street bridge where concrete barriers remain and the sidewalk is closed down. “The state checks on it periodically.”

Some of the work is being held up by a lack of funding. Mazzarella estimated the public infrastructure toll around $35 million.

While FEMA agreed to provide disaster relief for affected homes and businesses, the agency denied Leominster’s request for aid to fix its roads.

With state and federal aid covering about half the infrastructure bill, the city is still working on finding funding.

“Plan A is to do everything in our power to get assistance from FEMA,” Mazzarella said. “And if it doesn’t come, plans B and C are to apply for assistance in grants for each individual project.”

While resident Beth Whigham’s street is no longer a river, the memories of being away from home while her husband and two-year-old daughter were evacuated by boat still linger a year later.

“For me, not knowing if they were okay was difficult,” Whigham said.

Whigham’s car, under feet of water, was totaled, but her home, on the third floor, was spared.

Mazzarella is planning a November event to thank all those who didn’t hesitate to help their neighbors in need.

“People really do step up,” Mazzarella said. “When they’re struggling and you need help, people do – they rise to the occasion.”

This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.

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