6 Mass. counties eligible for Sandy disaster aid

BOSTON (AP) - President Barack Obama has issued a major disaster declarationfor Superstorm Sandy for six Massachusetts counties that means about $22million is available to state and local governments to share for emergencyresponse and repair costs.

The counties included are Barnstable, Bristol, Dukes, Nantucket, Plymouth,and Suffolk in eastern Massachusetts.

Some private non-profit organizations also may be eligible for the aid.

Federal funding is also available on a cost-sharing basis for hazardmitigation measures statewide.

The state was spared the worst damage from the October storm, which slammedNew Jersey, New York and parts of Connecticut and Rhode Island, but somecoastal areas had downed trees and power lines, eroded dunes and washed-outroads.

Cox Media Group