President Declares Major Disaster for Connecticut

Contact: FEMA Region I News Desk
617-956-7547

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Federal Emergency Management Agency announced that federal disaster aid has been made available to the State of Connecticut and ordered federal aid to supplement state, tribal, and local recovery efforts in the area affected by Hurricane Sandy beginning on October 27, 2012, and continuing.

The President’s action makes federal funding available to affected individuals in counties of Fairfield, Middlesex, New Haven, and New London and the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation and Mohegan Tribal Nation located within New London County.

Assistance can include grants for temporary housing and home repairs, low-cost loans to cover uninsured property losses, and other programs to help individuals and business owners recover from the effects of the disaster.        

Federal funding is available to state, tribal, and eligible local governments and certain private nonprofit organizations on a cost-sharing basis for debris removal and emergency protective measures, including direct Federal assistance, for the counties of Fairfield, Middlesex, New Haven, and New London and the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation and Mohegan Tribal Nation located within New London County.

Federal funding is also available on a cost-sharing basis for hazard mitigation measures statewide.

Albert Lewis has been named as the Federal Coordinating Officer for federal recovery operations in the affected area.  Lewis said damage surveys are continuing in other areas, and more counties and additional forms of assistance may be designated after the assessments are fully completed.

Individuals and business owners who sustained losses in the designated county can begin applying for assistance by registering online at http://www.DisasterAssistance.gov or by calling 1-800-621-FEMA(3362) or by web enabled mobile device at m.fema.gov.  Disaster assistance applicants, who have a speech disability or hearing loss and use TTY, should call 1-800-462-7585 directly; for those who use 711 or Video Relay Service (VRS), call 1-800-621-3362. The toll-free telephone numbers will operate from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. (local time) seven days a week until further notice. 

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