Lessons From The Snow

People carry their sleds on Boston Common during a snowstorm in Boston. (AP Photo/Steven Senne, File)

(Steven Senne)

BOSTON - Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker's administration is asking President Barack Obama to sign a disaster declaration, which would make Massachusetts eligible for an estimated $300 million in federal reimbursements for costs related to this winter's unprecedented snowfall.

The money would be distributed to state agencies, cities, towns and nonprofits around the state, with the exception of the four western counties, which were not hit as hard by the storms.

"Despite our experience in dealing with harsh weather conditions, this severe winter pattern brought the Commonwealth to a virtual standstill for days at a time," Baker wrote in a letter to Obama, sent through the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

The entire Massachusetts congressional delegation wrote their own letter to Obama urging the president to approve Baker's request. Baker is a Republican; the members of Congress, like Obama, are all Democrats.

"Federal assistance is critically needed to help the Commonwealth repair public facilities and infrastructure damaged or destroyed by the storm, as well as to recoup the costs of snow removal and road treatment," the members of Congress wrote.

State officials have said they believe the state will get $17 million in reimbursements for costs related to Winter Storm Juno, the blizzard in late January. Typically, FEMA only provides reimbursement for costs that accrue over a 48- or 72-hour period after a storm. But Baker is asking the federal government to consider the entire 28-day period beginning Jan. 26, which saw close to 9 feet of snow in some places and frigid temperatures, as one weather event.

Over around a month, from the end of January to the end of February, Baker said it snowed for 24 days, only rose above freezing for a handful of days, and had an average temperature of 19 degrees. "This weather pattern...crippled our transit system, created all sorts of issues for our health care systems, and overwhelmed emergency cleanup and response efforts," Baker said at a Friday press conference.

In its letter, the Baker administration said the winter weather caused 25 deaths and more than 1,000 injuries. Kurt Schwartz, director of the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency, said that included deaths of people who were hit by snowplows or other vehicles, who fell off roofs, or had cardiac problems while shoveling snow.

If the declaration is signed, all 10 counties from Worcester east would be eligible for federal aid. The state is also asking for "snow assistance" money for all those counties other than Nantucket, all of which had record or near-record snowfall this season.

Baker said snowfall totals in Hampshire, Hampden, Berkshire and Franklin counties were not high enough, based on historic snowfall in those areas, to meet the threshold to qualify for federal assistance.

The money could go to state agencies, municipalities and nonprofits such as hospitals to cover the costs of snow removal and repairs. State official estimated that the storms cost $350 million in snow removal and another $50 million in damage to public infrastructure like roads, piers and seawalls.

If the disaster declaration is signed, FEMA could reimburse 75 percent of uninsured costs. This could also cover any damage to the MBTA that is not covered by insurance. A more comprehensive analysis of costs would be done by FEMA after a declaration is signed by Obama.

Baker said the damage from this year's snowstorms exceeded other weather events where there have been federal disaster declarations, including the 2008 ice storm, 2010 flooding and snowfall in 2011 and 2013. A University of Oklahoma statistical analysis called it a weather pattern that is expected to happen once in 26,000 years.

"It certainly felt to us like we were in a weather pattern where every weekend we were basically preparing for four weeks in a row for Juno and Marcus and Fred and Tom and Harry and Jim and whatever other storms were coming through," Baker said.