BOSTON — The Federal Emergency Management Agency will be sending more than $4 million to the Commonwealth of Massachusetts to reimburse the Massachusetts Department of Transportation for some of the costs of plowing and sanding roads after Winter Storm Kenan in January 2022.

 

MassDOT will receive a total of $4,041,370 in federal funding through FEMA's Public Assistance grant program to reimburse it for the costs of snow plowing and sanding roads after the January 28-29 "bomb cyclone" produced blizzard conditions in some parts of New England.

 

Kenan caused record or near record snowfall in four counties in Massachusetts. This created an immediate threat to the health and safety of the public and improved property, requiring emergency response and protective measures.

 

The grant will reimburse MassDOT for 6,961 overtime hours worked by roughly 660 employees and for contracting for plowing services between Friday, Jan. 28 and Sunday, Jan. 30, during which time some 2,800 pieces of equipment were deployed statewide.

 

President Joe Biden's disaster declaration made federal funding available to commonwealth, tribal and eligible local governments, and certain private nonprofit organizations on a cost-sharing basis for emergency work and the repair or replacement of damaged facilities in Bristol, Norfolk, Plymouth and Suffolk counties, and for the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe.

 

FEMA has awarded more than $23 million in Public Assistance grants to state and local governments for the disaster to date.

 

"FEMA is pleased to be able to reimburse MassDOT for the costs incurred recovering from Winter Storm Kenan," said FEMA Region 1 Regional Administrator Lori Ehrlich. "Re-opening highways for public safety vehicles required extraordinary measures deserving of federal assistance."

 

FEMA's Public Assistance program is an essential source of funding for states and communities recovering from a federally declared disaster or emergency.