Obama Expedites Disaster Relief

From Governor Malloy:

(HARTFORD, CT) – Governor Dannel P. Malloy released the following statement in response to President Obama’s declaration this afternoon of an expedited major disaster in Connecticut for Fairfield, New Haven, Middlesex and New London Counties in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy. In the coming days, state officials and FEMA will be conducting damage assessments to determine if additional counties may be eligible for assistance.

“When I spoke with the President earlier today, he made it clear that the federal government was going to do everything in its power to help our residents get back to normal as quickly as possible,” said Governor Malloy. “The fact that this declaration happened so quickly is a real testament to that. This declaration will allow Connecticut to receive important federal assistance that will supplement the state and local recovery efforts needed from the impact of Hurricane Sandy. I want to thank President Obama for his leadership during this difficult time.”

The President’s action authorizes the Department of Homeland Security, Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), to coordinate disaster relief efforts that have the purpose of alleviating the hardship and suffering caused by the emergency on the local population, and to provide appropriate assistance for required emergency measures, authorized under Title V of the Stafford Act, to save lives and to protect property and public health and safety, and to lessen or avert the threat of a catastrophe in the declared Connecticut counties.

This declaration will provide assistance to individuals, municipalities, state agencies and certain non-profits, including reimbursing state and local agencies for eligible emergency protective measures and debris removal at 75 percent federal funding. Affected individuals may be eligible for a variety of disaster assistance services and programs.

“After traveling around the state today and meeting with residents, I was able to view some of the damage first hand. There is a lot of damage that’s been caused by the storm from both wind and flooding, particularly around the shoreline area,” added Governor Malloy. “I’ve directed state emergency management personnel to continue meeting with local officials and the FEMA team assigned to Connecticut to assess where these efforts are needed most and to get help there as soon as possible.”