$2.5M OK'd for storm victims.

• Position: LOCAL NEWS

Byline: George Barnes

WESTFIELD - More than $2.5 million in disaster assistance has been approved for survivors of the June 1 severe storms and tornadoes in Hampden and Worcester counties, according to officials with the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency and the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

On July 4, close to 3,500 residents of the state had registered for disaster assistance through FEMA.

Applicants include homeowners, renters and business owners whose property was damaged by the June 1 severe storms and tornadoes that left a path of destruction from Springfield to Southbridge, causing massive damage to homes, businesses and public buildings.

FEMA's Housing Assistance Program accounts for more than $1.4 million of the assistance made available to victims of the storms. It includes grants to help pay for rent and home repair or replacement. Also, more than $1.1 million has been approved for the joint state-federal administered program called Other Needs Assistance.

It covers grants for the repair or...