Fairfield and Litchfield counties can get federal funds for Ida damage

Municipalities in Fairfield and Litchfield Counties can now get federal funding to cover the damages caused by Hurricane Ida in early September, Gov. Ned Lamont announced Thursday.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency amended the state’s existing major disaster declaration regarding the devastating storm, Lamont said.

This amendment means municipal governments within Fairfield and Litchfield counties, as well as state government and certain nonprofit organizations, can apply for federal reimbursement of costs associated with uninsured damage to public infrastructure, along with response and emergency protective measures for the storm. These entities can get 75 percent of these costs reimbursed, Lamont’s office said.

Lamont said this approval “will be a significant help” in these counties’ “ongoing efforts to repair damage and strengthen their infrastructure against future storms.”

“I thank President Biden and FEMA for their ongoing work with our administration to protect Connecticut from damage caused by severe weather,” Lamont added.

Lamont’s request for public assistance for Middlesex and New London counties is still pending review by FEMA, officials said.

President Joe Biden approved the state’s major disaster declaration in late October, which garnered individual assistance for Fairfield and New London counties, including the Mashantucket Pequot and the Mohegan tribal nations. This meant homeowners, renters and business owners who suffered uninsured, or under insured, damages to their properties could apply for federal disaster assistance.

The deadline for applying for this assistance passed on Jan. 28. Preliminary reports show Connecticut received $8 million in individual assistance, $12 million in Small Business Administration loans and $20 million under the National Flood Insurance program, Lamont’s office

said.

Biden also approved the hazard mitigation grant program for the entire state in late October, which helps state agencies, local governments and tribal nations to “take actions that can reduce or eliminate long-term risk to people and property from natural disasters,” Lamont’s office said.

In his October request for a presidential major disaster declaration, Lamont said the state experienced an estimated $7.2 million in damages, but he was “confident that the estimates will rise substantially, especially for Fairfield County.”