Governor Ned Lamont today provided the following updates as of 2:00 p.m. on Friday, August 30, regarding Connecticut’s recovery from the August 18 historic rainfall and flooding.
“These historic floods devastated homes, businesses, and infrastructure in western Connecticut, and we are committed to helping the impacted communities rebuild and recover as soon as possible,” Governor Lamont said. “In addition to launching a state-funded program to help small businesses with the costs of rebuilding and reopening, my administration is continuing to work directly with FEMA and the U.S. Small Business Administration to determine whether the thresholds have been met that would enable homeowners and business owners to receive federal reimbursements to aid in the recovery process for damaged infrastructure. I am impressed at the speed that crews from the Connecticut Department of Transportation, their contractors, and municipal workers have been working to reopen roads and bridges. Our administration remains determined to work with all our partners to help everyone in the impacted areas recover and restore a sense of normalcy.”
Connecticut Department of Transportation crews continue to reopen roads
Maintenance staff from the Connecticut Department of Transportation (CTDOT) have been working around the clock to repair and reopen damaged roads and bridges. Immediately following the storm, a total of 30 state roads were closed and five rail lines were closed or delayed. As of this afternoon, CTDOT has reopened 23 roads and four rail lines are operating on schedule.
Activities have included debris removal on state roads, as well as the cleaning of culvert, pipes, and catch basis. In total, approximately 125 catch basins have been cleaned, 450 shoulders and washouts have been repaired, 31 culverts and pipes have been cleared, and 1.2 million pounds of debris have been removed. Additionally, the CTDOT Bridge Safety and Evaluation Team has inspected nearly 40 state-owned bridges to ensure their safety.
“Our focus has been restoring infrastructure to ensure no one is cut off from their neighbors and community,” Connecticut Transportation Commissioner Garrett Eucalitto said. “We’ve rebuilt nearly two dozen roads and have plans in place to reopen several more by the end of the month. Thank you to incredible work of CTDOT crews, contractor partners, and local public works staff who have been working around the clock.”
Several state roads, such as Route 34 in Oxford and Route 67 in Southbury and Oxford, remain high priority to reopen to traffic. The CTDOT is working with its contracting partners to design temporary bridges that can be installed until permanent fixes can be completed.
Two washouts along the Waterbury Branch Line have severely impacted rail service. No trains are running along the line and the service is being replaced by buses until further notice. Crews are actively working to fix the washouts near Beacon Falls and Seymour. Site access remains challenging, especially in Seymour near the Kinneytown Dam, while crews are working as quickly as possible to restore rail service.
Interactive map launched for residents to track road recovery process
The CTDOT today launched a new interactive map of road repairs so residents can track the recovery process of damage from the August 18 storm. To access that map, click here or click the link available on the ct.gov/dot homepage.
This August 18 storm-specific map is in addition to CTDOT’s regular CTroads website that provides real-time updates and alerts on roads statewide, which is available at ctroads.org.
State actively conducting required damage assessments needed to receive a federal major disaster declaration
The Lamont administration is actively working with towns, businesses, and homeowners to conduct the required damage assessments and calculate whether the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) indicators/thresholds have been met that would enable the state to receive a federal major disaster declaration, which could result in the release of federal funding to reimburse homeowners, businesses, and state and local governments for some of the costs of rebuilding and repairing damage to eligible public and uninsured private property.
To support this effort, over the last several days, staff from the Connecticut Division of Emergency Management and Homeland Security and municipal officials have been taking staff from FEMA and the SBA to homes and businesses in the impacted areas of Fairfield County, Litchfield County, and New Haven County to view damage in person and conduct preliminary damage assessments. This assessment process may continue into next week, if needed.
The joint preliminary damage assessment for FEMA’s Public Assistance program, which can include reimbursements for eligible state and local government costs of repairing public infrastructure, is scheduled to begin September 9.
The requirements for seeking a federal major disaster declaration typically takes a period of days or weeks to complete, as state and local governments are required to submit very specific and detailed documentation with cost estimates to support the request for federal funding.
Small businesses and nonprofits can begin applying for funds from the state’s micro-grant program on September 3
Beginning next week, small businesses and nonprofit organizations with fewer than 100 employees in Fairfield County, Litchfield County, and New Haven County that suffered damage from the storm can begin applying for a state micro-grant program that will provide grants of up to $25,000 to support their recovery efforts.
Governor Lamont has allocated $5 million in state funds for this program. It is being administered at the request of the Lamont administration by the WBDC, a nonprofit organization based in Fairfield County, with support from the Connecticut Department of Economic and Community Development.
Small businesses and nonprofits can apply for grants beginning September 3 by filling out the application that will be made available online on the WBDC’s website at ctwbdc.org.
“Life’s not about waiting for the storm to pass…. It’s about learning to dance in the rain.” – Vivian Greene
