Federal Disaster Aid in Connecticut Following Hurricane Sandy Tops $45.4 Million

Federal Disaster Aid in Connecticut Following Hurricane Sandy Tops $45.4 Million

WINDSOR, Conn. — More than $45.4 million in federal disaster grants and loans has been approved for Connecticut survivors of Hurricane Sandy, the Federal Emergency Management Agency announced today.

As of close of business Feb. 14:

• More than 12,380 Connecticut residents in the counties of Fairfield, Middlesex, New Haven and New London, and the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation and the Mohegan Tribal Nation located within New London County have registered for federal disaster assistance;
• More than $11,552,000 has been approved for housing assistance, including short-term rental assistance and home repair costs;
• More than $920,000 has been approved to cover other essential disaster-related needs, such as medical and dental expenses and lost personal possessions;
• More than 6,322 inspections of damaged properties have been conducted statewide;
• More than $32,189,000 in low-interest disaster loans for homeowners, renters, businesses and private nonprofit organizations has been approved by the U.S. Small Business Administration;
• More than $9,380 in Disaster Unemployment Assistance has been approved as a result of Sandy; and
• More than $808,000 in Public Assistance grants has been obligated to municipalities statewide for Sandy-related expenses. Under the PA program, FEMA expects to reimburse the state, local governments and tribal nations for $52,465,131 in storm-related expenses, which represents the 75 percent federal share of such projects.

Additionally, 3,761 flood insurance claims totaling $135,433,203 have been paid to date, representing nearly 70 percent of total National Flood Insurance Program claims in the state of Connecticut following Hurricane Sandy.

Although the deadline has passed for hurricane survivors to register for assistance, survivors may check status of applications or receive other assistance by calling the FEMA Helpline, 800-621-3362. Helpline hours are from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. Eastern, seven days a week. The TTY number is 800-462-7585. Multilingual operators are available. Check status online at www.DisasterAssistance.gov, or at m.fema.gov on a smartphone or other web device.

Disaster recovery assistance is available without regard to race, color, religion, nationality, sex, age, disability, English proficiency or economic status.  If you or someone you know has been discriminated against, call FEMA toll-free at 800-621-3362. For TTY, call 800-462-7585.

The U.S. Small Business Administration is the federal government’s primary source of money for the long-term rebuilding of disaster-damaged private property. SBA helps homeowners, renters, businesses of all sizes, and private, nonprofit organizations fund repairs or rebuilding efforts and covers the cost of replacing lost or disaster-damaged personal property. These disaster loans cover losses not fully compensated by insurance or other recoveries and do not duplicate benefits of other agencies or organizations.

FEMA’s mission is to support our citizens and first responders to ensure that as a nation we work together to build, sustain, and improve our capability to prepare for, protect against, respond to, recover from, and mitigate all hazards.