Madison officials seek emergency declaration and FEMA aid after storm damages roads and historic bridge

Madison officials and residents met June 12 to review storm damage across town and to coordinate with state and federal agencies for emergency aid.

The board chair opened the meeting for public comment and asked Mark to report on his outreach to the governor and New Hampshire Homeland Security. "I spoke with her, asked what she could do, and I told her the quickest declaration we could have for emergency would be best," Mark said, adding that state officials were engaged and that Rob Buxton from New Hampshire Homeland Security had offered personnel support. A speaking selectman told residents the state threshold for Public Assistance is $2,600,000: "The threshold he stated to me was $2,600,000," the selectman said as officials described ongoing measurement and documentation work to reach that figure.

The town is preparing project damage assessments (PDAs) for FEMA and trying to schedule FEMA teams to be in Madison "as soon as Monday," officials said, while cautioning that arrival and outcomes were uncertain. "He's trying to schedule FEMA into town as soon as Monday," the selectman said; the selectman and the chair both called for residents to send photos and damage documentation to the town administrator so the information can be uploaded to the town website and used for claims.

Public commenters gave detailed accounts of local damage and possible fixes. Resident Charles Boswell, who said his house is on Colby Hill Road, urged a more permanent drainage solution that would include larger, concrete cross‑pipes spaced roughly every 100 feet instead of repeated stone repairs. "It would appear ... they have to put cross pipes in every 100 feet to alleviate some of that water coming," Boswell said. DPW staff and other residents described extensive, temporary repairs to restore safe passage while permanent designs are developed.

Officials emphasized limits on what local government can fund. Selectmen said FEMA Public Assistance typically covers public infrastructure and not private property losses; the board noted that owners on class‑6 roads generally have limited recourse for private losses. A resident who said her Polaris Road repair estimate was about $50,000 was told those private costs usually do not count toward highway infrastructure reimbursement, although board members said they were pressing congressional offices and other contacts in Washington to identify additional aid options.

The chair said the town would request use of its unreserved fund balance to pay for immediate repairs and hoped to recover much of the expense through FEMA (officials described 75% as the rough reimbursement level based on past events). The chair added that the town had not budgeted for this event and that officials planned additional public hearings once better cost estimates are available.

Also at issue is a severely damaged bridge on East Madison Road. Officials said the northerly wing wall was removed by the storm and about eight feet of abutment washed away; New Hampshire DOT bridge engineers are monitoring safety and have declared the structure safe for passage for now, but reconstruction will require engineering assessment and likely FEMA documentation and in‑kind restoration. Selectmen and DPW staff warned that bridge repair could be a major expense and that early, rough figures discussed at the meeting included millions for permanent fixes.

The meeting closed with reminders about safety and communications: officials urged residents not to travel through posted road closures, advised against recreational boating because of floating debris and high outflow at Silver Lake, and asked residents to rely on the town website for official updates. The board thanked DPW crews and contracting companies that had been working long shifts to reopen roads and said more public information and hearings would follow once assessments and cost estimates are complete.