disaster area on August 20. The declaration allocated $25 million in assistance to the state. Governor Ribicoff requested $34 million in funds to rebuild and produce future flood mitigation projects; the state's funding was paid by a combination of bonds and tax increases. Including subsequent storms, the 1955 floods cumulatively killed 91 people and left 1,100 families homeless. Flooding occurred in 67 towns, resulting in damage to 20,000 families. About 86,000 people were left unemployed after the floods. In Winsted, the buildings that were washed away along the south side of Main Street were never rebuilt. Massachusetts Governor Christian Herter also issued a state of emergency, due to the widespread flooding damage. As a result, the state's National Guard and the Army Corps assisted in cleanup, and most roads took three weeks to clear. Residents in areas affected by Diane's flooding were advised to boil water and not to use gas cooking equipment. Diane's historic rainfall resulted in the wettest month on record in Boston with a total of , a record that stands as of 2010; Boston's 24‑hour total of remained the highest daily total as of 1996. Following Diane's floods, cities in Massachusetts enlarged culverts and improved draining systems, as well as constructing weirs; these systems helped mitigate against future flooding. The name Diane was retired from the Atlantic hurricane naming list. Due to the damage from hurricanes in 1954 and 1955, including Diane, public outcry over storm damage led to the creation of the National Hurricane Center in 1956. Using a monetary deflator in 2010 United States dollars, the damage from Diane would be about $7.4 billion, which would have been the 17th highest in the United States. Accounting for inflation, changes in personal wealth, and population changes, it is estimated Diane would have caused $18 billion in damage in 2010, or the 15th highest for a United States hurricane. See also List of wettest tropical cyclones in Massachusetts List of North Carolina hurricanes (1950–79) List of New England hurricanes Hurricane Agnes Tropical Storm Doria (1971) Hurricane Floyd Hurricane Irene Other storms of the same name Notes References McCarthy Earls, Eamon. "Twisted Sisters: How Four Superstorms Forever Changed the Northeast in 1954 & 1955." Franklin: Via Appia Press (www.viaappiapress.com), 2014. 1955 Atlantic hurricane season Hurricane Diane August 1955 events Diane Category 2 Atlantic hurricanes Retired Atlantic hurricanes Hurricanes in North Carolina Hurricanes in Virginia Hurricanes in Delaware