Rep. Neal visits Berkshire County to assess storm damage

NORTH ADAMS, Mass. - Rep. Richard Neal made visits to North Adams and Clarksburg Monday to assess the flood damage still visible from storms two weeks ago in Berkshire County.

Through more rain in North Adams on Monday afternoon, Mayor Jennifer Macksey and Neal first stopped at the collapsed part of State Street. Neal said gathering information is critical for securing federal funds.

“Well July has been a pretty wet month," Neal said. "And we have attempted to assess the damage that's been done to some of the communities in the 1st Congretional District. I would point out that FEMA is a very responsive federal agency, but documentation is going to be everything. Making sure that the review afterwards when the requests have been made stand up under the magnifying glass of critical analysis.”

Neal said FEMA could have an immediate impact on reimbursement assistance for repair efforts by public works departments. He said the first step for homeowners like Michelle Grimes is private insurance. The flooding washed away her driveway and members from Team Rubicon were helping her and others with flooded homes.

“Team Rubicon is a national organization, disaster response for national," said Steve Scott, an incident commander for the group. "We got called in by MEMA and the North Adams folks to come out and help individuals who’re suffering from their worst day in a disaster. It's important to get wet sheet rock, wet fiberglass out of the houses before the mold sets in, so that's a top priority for us.”

Team Rubicon is scheduled to assist North Adams residents all week. Neal said emergency declarations for Berkshire, Franklin, Hampden and Hampshire Counties would largely be determined by Gov. Maura Healey, but based on the information assessed so far, Neal said it seems all four western counties will qualify.