ATHOL, Mass. - Heather Dinitto was one of a number of business owners working out of the Tilton Cook Marketplace, when September's intense flooding destroyed the building she worked out of.

"We have just never seen that much water ever, and it was rushing," said Dinitto. "We drove around the other side of the building where there's another entrance on the lower level and the water was raging out the top of a tall overhead door. I mean, it was up to the ceiling on that level."

Dinitto was selling lightly used and discounted furniture, home décor, and much of what was in her Leominster business was destroyed. Looking back, it was an experience she describes as traumatic.

"It was years of hard work just gone in an instant," Dinitto said. "It's probably no different than people losing things in a fire, is how I can relate in that sense. This was my livelihood."

Last week, President Joe Biden approved a disaster declaration in the Commonwealth, reversing FEMA's February decision which denied federal assistance. 

The White House says residents and business owners can now apply for relief, which is something Leominster Mayor Dean Mazzarella says is a big weight off the community's shoulders.

"Their life changed; their property changed," said Mazzarella. "It's a big victory for them and we're pleased because there are so many that didn't have the funding, couldn't get a loan, didn't have retirement, didn't have family to borrow it from."

Dinitto spent the three months following the storm looking for a new home for her business. It was in January she was able to open in downtown Athol. She says she won't be seeking any federal aid, as there are others in the city who may need it more than her.

Relocating more than a half hour away has brought its own set of challenges, but things are otherwise going a lot better than they were just a few months ago.

"It has just been wonderful," Dinitto said. "The community has been great. We are doing well here."