GREENFIELD — Emergency management officials are continuing to evaluate what is now estimated to be $300,000 in damage caused by heavy rainstorms over the last month.

“We were lucky in the first storm, the damage was relatively minor,” said Fire Chief Robert Strahan, who also serves as the emergency management director, referencing a July 10 storm. “The second storm, not so much. … Everybody did what they always do; they handled it. They handled it with grace and dignity. Now we’re in the recovery phase.”

In addition to Newell Pond Place, where a culvert washed away, other roads that were left severely damaged during the July 21 storm — which dumped about 4.65 inches of rain on the city, according to the National Weather Service — included Scout and Bascom roads, both of which were briefly closed due to severe flooding and landslides. Newell Pond Place however, remains closed.

The Green River Swimming and Recreation Area also sustained damage during the first storm, but has since been reopened.

Strahan noted $300,000 in damages is an early estimate. Other costs to the city include overtime during emergency response, he said.

Given the pattern of storms seen lately, Strahan recently told members of the Public Safety Commission that he was concerned about the impact a hurricane or tropical storm could have on the region if one were to make landfall in the next month or two.

“With the ground saturated, we’re potentially looking at big problems,” he said. “We need to watch the weather closely because we could have some significant issues coming forward.”

In his role as emergency management director, Strahan said he is hoping the state qualifies for a federal emergency declaration, which would provide resources for recovery efforts.

“It’s not likely to occur, but there is the potential of it,” Strahan explained. “Each county has to meet a certain threshold for damage in order to get qualified for an emergency declaration.”

Information on damage gets sent to the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency, which is compiled and sent to the federal level, he said.

“We have different levels of damage throughout the city,” Strahan said. “We have some property loss of city equipment; we don’t have an estimate on that yet. We have some roads that were damaged. We have a culvert that was washed away, and the culvert needs to be replaced and the road fixed.”

Reporter Mary Byrne can be reached at mbyrne@recorder.com or 413-930-4429. Twitter: @MaryEByrne

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