麻州2月暴風雪災難重大 Healey州長申訴聯邦拒補助

    (Boston Orange編譯) 麻州州長奚莉（Maura Healey）今（7月31）日發佈訊息，批評聯邦當局不應拿災難救濟來政治操作，要求川普政府撤回聯邦緊急事務管理局（FEMA）的拒絕決定，恢復撥發4,500萬美元聯邦災難救濟金給麻州。

    今年2月22日至23日，麻州遭遇颶風級的暴風雪，每小時降雪量高達4英吋，近30萬戶人家停電。FEMA先前已確認麻州的災難損失高達4,500萬美元，已超過可向聯邦政府申請「重大災難宣告（Major Disaster Declaration）」補助的門檻，7月2日卻否決了麻州向聯邦政府提出的撥款申請。

    若麻州申訴成功，聯邦政府將啟動公共援助計畫，協助受災嚴重的巴恩斯特布爾（Barnstable）、布里斯托（Bristol）、諾福克（Norfolk）及普利茅斯（Plymouth）等郡縣，補貼地方政府清雪與緊急應變等龐大開支。

    奚莉州長批評聯邦當局不應拿災難救濟來政治操作；麻州緊急事務管理局（MEMA）局長布蘭特利（Dawn Brantley）則強調，麻州具備完備的抗災能力，但此事件的重點在於災後清掃與復原費用極其昂貴，符合聯邦援助標準。

    麻州在暴風雪期間曾動員國民兵並向鄰州請求支援。為彌補資金缺口，州府已先提撥1,000萬美元的公平分享基金（Fair Share funding）緊急救濟地方，同時持續向聯邦爭取應得的災難補助。

Governor Healey Appeals FEMA’s Denial of Major Disaster Declaration for February Blizzard 

Governor urges Trump Administration to provide disaster assistance for communities impacted by the historic February 22-23 blizzard

BOSTON – Governor Maura Healey is urging the Trump Administration to reverse its denial of Massachusetts’ request for a Major Disaster Declaration and provide federal assistance to communities recovering from one of the worst winter storms the state has seen in decades.

“This February, Massachusetts experienced one of the worst winter storms we've seen in decades,” said Governor Maura Healey. “Our first responders, public works crews and local communities worked around the clock to keep people safe, and FEMA validated that Massachusetts exceeded the threshold for federal disaster assistance. Our communities did everything that was asked of them. They shouldn't be left to shoulder these extraordinary costs alone, and the President of the United States shouldn’t play politics with disaster relief.”

The February 22-23, 2026, blizzard brought whiteout conditions, snowfall rates of up to four inches per hour and hurricane-force wind gusts that overwhelmed local resources, knocked out power to nearly 300,000 customers and forced communities to spend far beyond their annual snow removal budgets. To help communities recover, Governor Healey requested a Major Disaster Declaration that would provide federal Public Assistance to state agencies and local governments in Barnstable, Bristol, Dukes, Nantucket, Norfolk and Plymouth counties for eligible storm-related costs. The request also sought Snow Assistance for Barnstable, Bristol, Norfolk and Plymouth counties, which experienced record-breaking snowfall. On July 2, FEMA denied the request.

Following the storm, FEMA confirmed that Massachusetts far exceeded the threshold to qualify for federal disaster assistance after determining the state had incurred approximately $45 million in eligible disaster costs. Despite that, FEMA denied the state's request.

“Massachusetts communities and state agencies are well-equipped to manage winter storms, and this blizzard was met with a strong, coordinated response that kept residents safe and communities running,” said MEMA Director Dawn Brantley. “What made this storm extraordinary wasn't our ability to respond - it was the unprecedented cost of doing so. Federal disaster assistance is intended for exactly these situations, helping offset extraordinary response costs so communities aren't forced to shoulder the financial burden of a historic event on their own.”

The February blizzard, which dropped nearly three feet of snow on top of existing accumulation from a January storm, left extensive damage across eastern Massachusetts and required an unprecedented statewide response. Governor Healey declared a State of Emergency, activated the State Emergency Operations Center (SEOC) and the Massachusetts National Guard, and requested out-of-state assets from Connecticut, New York and Vermont to support state and local snow removal efforts. Governor Healey also secured $100 million in Fair Share funding to help cities and towns recover from extraordinary winter storm costs while continuing to pursue the federal disaster assistance Massachusetts qualified for.