Leominster still rebuilding one year after catastrophic flooding

LEOMINSTER - It was one year ago that nearly one foot of rain fell on the Leominster area in just a few hours causing catastrophic flooding . The damage from that flooding was devastating and Mayor Dean Mazzarella says it is still a day-by-day recovery process for residents and businesses.

"It just came in like wow, in a matter of minutes, " said Ray Bissonnette as floodwaters surrounded and entered his property. Over six feet of water in his basement covering his oil tank and brand-new water heater.

"I had mud everywhere"

In the city, tracks and roads were torn apart and craters opened up. "The cleanup was the big part. I had mud everywhere, the dark mud from the runoff and everything," said Bissonnette.

The storm even brought in new fish to his koi pond from the now dry Monoosnoc Brook behind his home. It took months to clean up and months for FEMA to come through with some funding which it finally did for about 800 homeowners and businesses.

"It was probably the most insane thing I've ever seen, there was no way to stop it, it was scary," said Arianna Bennett about the water that came cascading through her basement door. It destroyed the basement which was a second living space, including personal mementos and debris that is still in bags. "We had to unfortunately take from our savings to start the process, thankfully did get some help from FEMA."

$30 million in damages

A still condemned home and the devastation of a collapsed building behind some local businesses are all signs the recovery is far from complete.

The storm cost the city some $30 million in damages that FEMA did not cover, and the city is only halfway to raising more money and still looking for grants. "A lot of the repairs on the main roads are temporary they're not permanent," said Mayor Mazzarella. "The clock is ticking, and we need to get funding and engineering to get these things out to bid."

Ray Bissonnette says he's grateful for one thing a year later. "The generosity and reach of the people who are friends, I was born in Leominster, to help me, showed the goodness in people," he said.

Mayor Mazzarella says it could now take another two years for the infrastructure repairs to be completed.