NH OUTLOOK FRIDAY EDITION, Friday, 5/19/2006
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script iconIntro Flood Wrap Fri script iconflood info
script iconIntro Flood Conv. script iconkey: Enviroment
script iconFlood Relief Hotline script iconkey: Environment


script iconHello/Intro Flood mix
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Hello. I'm Beth Carroll. Welcome to this special Week-in-Review Edition of NH Outlook as we look back at the flooding that has devastated sections of the state, look at what's next for those affected and discuss media coverage of the historic floods.
This Friday, as the floodwaters continued to recede more rain was at our doorstep.
Flood watches were re-issued throughout the state as teams from the Federal Emergency Management Agency arrived in New Hampshire.
They're here to assess flood damage touched off by five days of relentless rain.
Friday morning -- lawmakers voted to give money to help flooded communities while waiting for federal assistance.
Damage assessment is the first step to qualifying for federal aid.
Outlook's Richard Ager caught up with Governor Lynch Friday morning following his meeting with FEMA officials.
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Early on.Governor Lynch declared a state of emergency in New Hampshire.
The National Guard was called in to help with evacuations.
Work crews have been on the scene round-the-clock, as have emergency officials.
Joining us by phone with an upate: Jim Van Dongen with NH's Bureau of Emergency Management.
Q Jim: Where do things stand now?
Q Is the latest rain -- worrisome?? More flood watches???
Q Do we have a sense as to what communities face the BIGGEST challenges
in the way of clean up and recovery??
Q What will FEMA teams be doing today?
Q How SOON will we know if the state is eligible for federal aid?
Q What will FEMA cover in the way of damage -- what WON'T it cover?
Q FEMA officials say only FLOOD Insurance will bring you back to where you were before the floods -- YET, there are homeowners not able to get it
Q What lessons have we learned from ALSTEAD and last fall's flooding.
Q Just how WIDESPREAD has damage been??
** Is their a LEVEL of frustration -- in affected communities??
Q What advice would you give homeowners and businesses -- looking to
recover from the floods?
JIM VAN DONGEN: Thank you for taking the time to talk to us -- on a busy day??
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Just about everyone you talked to described this week's flooding as the worst in memory. Not suprising. According to preliminary estimates NH really did have a 100-year flood. The state saw the highest ever Floods recorded at 12 rivers in Central and Southern NH.
NH Outlook crews were out all week, working to capture the story. Here's a look at some of our coverage.
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When disaster strikes -- local news is often at its best.
It is the first place people turn to-- to find out what's going on and to get emergency information.
Media Coverage of the flooding has been "extensive" and that includes visual and audio clips on Websites.
Joining us from the State House in Concord to talk about flood coverage:
Andrew Vrees the News Director at WMUR-TV in Manchester, and New Hampshire Outlook's Richard Ager.
Here with me in Durham Mike Pomp, NewsDirector at WTSN-AM 1270.
Welcome.
Q ANDREW: Let me begin with you. Channel 9 has been dogged in pursuit of this story.
What was the game plan for flood coverage?
Q In some cases WMUR'S coverage has been almost "INTERACTIVE".
You POSTED pictures of damage sent in by readers on the website, home videos.
How imporant has the WEB component of coverage for the station?
expectations about getting up to the minute information.??
Q When you have a story of this magnitude -- its inevitable that it will touch the lives of Those COVERING the floods. We saw that when Scott Spradling's road was damaged in Loudon.
Q Last falls floods in Alstead -- almost a dry run for THIS springs Floods.
Q RICHARD: For NH OUTlook's coverage -- you traveled around the state saw a lot of the damage first hand. When you look back at the week -- what stands out for you???
Q MIKE: The Seacoast -- had its share of water woes. What's this week been like for WTSN??? Most compelling story???
q MORE stories to come. Recovery MODE. What's going to be TOP on the list.
Mosquitoes, Insurance, Lost Businesses, ???
Q You can't help but be moved -- upon seeing tears of frustration of those whose homes have been lost.
Q RICHARD: As always FLOOD INSURANCE -- becomes a major issue.
FEMA officials say only way to get back to where you were before the floods
is with flood insurance. Yet some homeowners couldn't even get it if they wanted it. flood plain maps????
Now that we're in RECOVERY mode: Is their mounting frustration out there -- as those affected realize what WON'T be covered by insurance or other monies???
Q Q Did we see stories of Neighbors helping neighbors?
END:
Q ANDREW/RICHARD: In the News business: we all know stories have a shelf life. At what point do you begin to ease off of non-stop coverage and focus on the NEXT topic??
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My thanks to Andrew Vrees, & Richard Ager in Concord, and Mike Pomp in Durham.
If you need information on applying for state assistance in the wake of the floods you can call 1-800-458-2407.
That number is also available on our website, nhptv.org/outlook.
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That concludes this special edition of NH Outlook.
I'm Beth Carroll.
Thanks for watching
I'll see you next time.
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CONCORD, N.H. - Teams from the Federal Emergency Management
Agency are in New Hampshire today to start assessing flood damage
-- the first step to qualifying for federal aid. Governor John
Lynch also plans to ask legislators today to provide up to five
million dollars to towns severely damaged by this week's floods.
CONCORD, N.H. - New Hampshire really had a
one-hundred-year-flood. Preliminary estimates of the magnitude of
this week's flooding show the highest-ever floods recorded at
twelve rivers in central and southern New Hampshire.
FLOODING-DATA
Data suggests 100-year flood in N.H.
klmho

CONCORD, N.H. - Preliminary estimates of the magnitude of
this week's flooding show the highest-ever floods recorded at
twelve rivers in central and southern New Hampshire.
That's according to the U-S Geological Survey. In fact,
hydrologists say flows during the flood peak for the Lamprey,
Exeter, Warner, Soucook, Merrimack and Spicket rivers generally
were at or exceeded those peaks that would be expected an average
of once in a 100-year period.
The peak flow in the Lamprey River at Newmarket, for example,
was 91-hundred cubic feet per second on May 16th; normal flow for
this date is 366 cubic feet per second. The Piscataquog River near
Goffstown had a peak flow of over ten-thousand cubic feet per
second on May 14th; normal flow for this date is 426 cubic feet per
second.
FLOODING
FEMA teams to start assessing damage in New Hampshire today
bywklm

CONCORD, N.H. - New Hampshire Governor John Lynch says he
will push hard for a quick response for financial help from the
Federal Emergency Management Agency.
FEMA teams are starting preliminary damage assessments in the
state today. That's the first step to qualifying for federal
recovery money.
Also today, Lynch plans to ask the Legislative Fiscal Committee
to provide up to five million dollars to towns severely damaged
by this week's floods.
He said during a tour of flood-damaged towns yesterday that the
swift disaster responses owed much to lessons learned during
flooding that claimed seven lives in southwestern New Hampshire
last October.

nmlfn
CONCORD, N.H. - New Hampshire's state climatologist says
the deluge that's washing out roads and flooding homes around the
state is a historic event.
David Brown says an unusual weather pattern is to blame for as
much as a foot of rain falling in places. He says a high pressure
system parked in Canada and a stalled low pressure system just to
New Hampshire's west drew tropical moisture into the region.
Brown says the storm pattern is especially unusual in May. He
says normally major rain storms hit in October as one did last
year. He said this storm has broken all kinds of 48 and 72 hour
rainfall records.
National Weather Service meteorologist Bill Simpson in Taunton,
Massachusetts, says the weather pattern usually only lasts a few
hours, not days.
AP-NY-05-15-06 1255EDT
WASHINGTON - Senator Judd Gregg says the
White House is on call to help with the flooding hitting the state.
Gregg says he has alerted the president's chief of staff, Josh
Bolten, to the severity of the flooding and the need for federal
help after damage has been assessed.
CONCORD, N.H. - New Hampshire continues dealing with
widespread flooding that has washed away roads and bridges, pushed
several thousand people from their homes and short-circuited some
phone service.
In Rochester this morning, officials ordered a mandatory
evacuation of nearly two thousand homes below the Spaulding Fiber
Dam. Residents were being directed to two schools for shelter. More
mandatory evacuations also have been ordered in Somersworth.
Water is raging through Exeter, flooding businesses, and the
Merrimack River continues to worry officials all along its route.
In the historic millyard in Manchester, the river is eating away
the brick walkways along the banks.
A Verizon building is flooded in Raymond, affecting phone calls
in several surrounding communities.
In Merrimack, firefighters had to rescue more than a dozen
residents by boat. They and volunteers are piling sandbags to
protect homes.
And don't think about heading to Fremont. Only emergency
vehicles are being allowed on the roads.

***
Unusual weather pattern responsible for deluge
nmlfn

CONCORD, N.H. - New Hampshire's state climatologist says
the deluge that's washing out roads and flooding homes around the
state is a historic event.
David Brown says an unusual weather pattern is to blame for as
much as a foot of rain falling in places. He says a high pressure
system parked in Canada and a stalled low pressure system just to
New Hampshire's west drew tropical moisture into the region.
Brown says the storm pattern is especially unusual in May. He
says normally major rain storms hit in October as one did last
year. He said this storm has broken all kinds of 48 and 72 hour
rainfall records.
National Weather Service meteorologist Bill Simpson in Taunton,
Massachusetts, says the weather pattern usually only lasts a few
hours, not days.
dewho
SOMERSWORTH, N.H. - The city of Somersworth
has declared a water emergency because the city's water treatment
plant has been flooded.
Residents are asked to conserve water and to boil it before
drinking.
Water from the Salmon Falls River has inundated the plant and
power that runs the purification system has been knocked out.
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HUDSON, N.H. - Governor John Lynch says lessons learned
during last fall's flooding in southwestern New Hampshire helped
the state respond swiftly when flooding hit other parts of the
state this week.
Speaking in Hudson this morning, the governor said officials saw
in Alstead that it was very important to respond very quickly and
massively and to have good communication between state agencies and
local officials.
Lynch said planning involved the immediate coordination of more
than 400 National Guard troops and establishing clear communication
between state and local officials. The state also distributed more
than 100 thousand sandbags.
HUDSON, N.H. - Governor John Lynch is supporting the fire
chief in Milton , who is being criticized by some
for allowing parts of his town to flood while trying to avoid a
potential disaster downstream. Lynch says he backs Chief Andy
Lucier's decision to hold water back at a Milton dam, flooding part
of his town, but preventing devastation downstream in Rochester,
Somersworth and Dover.
BRISTOL, N.H. - The state and a company in Bristol have been at odds for at least five years over the
condition of a dam that prompted evacuations in the town this week.
Two years ago, the state ordered Freudenberg-NOK to either repair
the dam on the Newfound River or remove it. The company says it no
longer owns the dam and is not responsible for it. The dispute goes
to court in the fall.
LACONIA, N.H. - The head of nursing at the Belknap County
Nursing Home in Laconia has been removed as
officials there work to fix problems that are jeopardizing the
homes's license and federal funding. Nancy Weston was overseeing
nursing operations, a key position in assuring that federal and
state regulations are followed.
HUDSON, N.H. - Governor John Lynch says lessons learned
during last fall's flooding in southwestern New Hampshire helped
the state respond swiftly when flooding hit other parts of the
state this week.
Speaking in Hudson this morning, the governor said officials saw
in Alstead that it was very important to respond very quickly and
massively and to have good communication between state agencies and
local officials.
Lynch said planning involved the immediate coordination of more
than 400 National Guard troops and establishing clear communication
between state and local officials. The state also distributed more
than 100 thousand sandbags.
script iconkey: Enviroment
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NEW HAMPSHIRE OUTLOOK Air Date/Time: 5/19/06
HOST: Beth Carroll Length: 4:11 minutes
Hello. I'm Beth Carroll. Welcome to this special Week-in-Review Edition of NH Outlook as we look back at the flooding that has devastated sections of the state, look at what's next for those affected and discuss media coverage of the historic floods. This Friday, as the floodwaters continued to recede more rain was at our doorstep. Flood watches were re-issued throughout the state as teams from the Federal Emergency Management Agency arrived in New Hampshire. They're here to assess flood damage touched off by five days of relentless rain. Friday morning -- lawmakers voted to give money to help flooded communities while waiting for federal assistance. Damage assessment is the first step to qualifying for federal aid. Outlook's Richard Ager caught up with Governor Lynch Friday morning following his meeting with FEMA officials.
PRODUCER/REPORTER: Beth Carroll / Richard Ager NAME OF PARTICIPANTS: Gov. John Lynch\ New Hampshire
script iconkey: Environment
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NEW HAMPSHIRE OUTLOOK Air Date/Time: 5/19/06
HOST: Beth Carroll Length: 13:40 minutes
When disaster strikes -- local news is often at its best. It is the first place people turn to-- to find out what's going on and to get emergency information. Media Coverage of the flooding has been "extensive" and that includes visual and audio clips on Websites. Joining us from the State House in Concord to talk about flood coverage: Andrew Vrees the News Director at WMUR-TV in Manchester, and New Hampshire Outlook's Richard Ager. Here with me in Durham Mike Pomp, NewsDirector at WTSN-AM 1270. Welcome.
PRODUCER/REPORTER: Beth Carroll / Richard Ager NAME OF PARTICIPANTS: Mike Pomp\News Director, WTSN-AM 1270 , Mike Pomp\News Director, WTSN-AM 1270
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