WILBRAHAM – State Rep. Angelo Puppolo sent a letter to Gov. Charlie Baker on July 21 to request a state of emergency be put in place for Hampden county due to extreme weather.

“During the summer of 2021, Western Massachusetts has reached near historic levels of rainfall,” the letter read. Instead of the 1.98 inches of rain that is average for the area between July 1 and July 15, it received 9.02 inches.

“I am concerned for my constituents, as many have notified me how seriously the weather has impacted them. Many of my constituents have had flooded basements, in particular in Wilbraham.” He continued, “The severe weather has also caused a variety of road closures, flooding, traffic and power cuts.”

Puppolo called the need for a state of emergency, “critical” and requested the state look into it.