Disaster Aid to New England for Ice Storm Nears $80 Million

The federal government says it distributed nearly $80 million in disaster relief funds to four New England states following a devastating ice storm a year ago.

The storm of Dec. 11-12, 2008, knocked out power to an estimated 1.4 million electric customers in the region. Some were without power for almost two weeks.

As the anniversary of the storm approached, the Federal Emergency Management Agency this week provided a breakdown of the disaster funding.

FEMA says Massachusetts has received $49.2 million, with almost half going to the cleanup and removal of debris.

New Hampshire has received $15 million, the majority going to debris cleanup.

FEMA also has directed just under $10 million to Maine and $1.3 million to Vermont.