Tierney tours flood area in Swampscott

SWAMPSCOTT – A historical photo in Town Hall shows an early model car with the tops of its wheels barely protruding above floodwaters underneath the Burrill Street railroad bridge.Town officials showed that picture to U.S. Rep. John Tierney, D-Salem, on Thursday and noted that on Oct. 4 of this year, a car in the same spot was submerged up to its roof.”We don’t have money to hand out to residents,” Town Administrator Andrew Maylor told the congressman. “But whatever we can do creatively is our goal.””I think you’ve responded well,” Tierney responded. “But whatever we can do.”Tierney visited Town Hall Thursday afternoon to meet with town officials and visit residents who were impacted by the Oct. 4 flooding.Thunderstorms in the early morning of Oct. 4 dropped 5.73 inches of rain on Swampscott within hours, according to the National Weather Service, prompting flooding that made many roads impassible, submerged basements and cars and caused sewer backups in many homes.The damage did not reach the threshold necessary for disaster aid from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).But, on Oct. 14, the Small Business Association declared a disaster in Essex and several other counties as a result of the flooding. This declaration makes residents and businesses eligible for low-interest loans to repair uninsured damages.But many questions remain for residents, Maylor told Tierney.Most insurance companies have said that residents are not eligible for claims, Maylor reported. But the companies’ reasons for doing so have varied, Maylor said, causing confusion.In addition, most residents sustained damage in finished or partially finished basements, he noted. This can be difficult to argue to insurers or federal agencies whether or not it qualifies as “living spaces” and eligible for claims. Many damaged basements also included large and expensive appliances – hot-water heaters, furnaces and washers and dryers, etc.Tierney told town officials they were taking the right steps in helping residents before he headed out with Maylor, Selectman Richard Malagrifa and Department of Public Works Supervisor Gino Cresta to visit a resident impacted by the floods.Cyrus Moulton can be reached at [email protected].