Obama Signs Mass. Disaster Declaration After Irene

Courtesy of Associated Press

BOSTON (AP) — President Barack Obama has declared a major disaster in Massachusetts in the wake of Tropical Storm Irene.

Obama on Saturday ordered federal aid to supplement state and local recovery efforts after the heavy winds and rains Aug. 27 to Aug. 29. Federal funding will now be available in Berkshire and Franklin counties.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency says more counties could receive assistance after additional assessments are made.

A 52-year-old man who was electrocuted by downed power lines in Southbridge was the state’s only fatality attributed to Irene. More than 500,000 Massachusetts customers lost power at the storm’s peak.

Copyright 2011 The Associated Press.

Related posts:

1. Obama Signs Conn. Disaster Declaration After Irene
2. Mass. Prepares for Possible Irene Impact
3. Flooding Forces Evacuations in Western Mass.
4. Obama Visits FEMA Command Center for Storm Update
5. Mass. Man Gets Electrocuted After Irene Trying to Get to Work

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Posted by jcashman on Sep 4 2011. Filed under Featured - For home page featured article. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry