{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://himes.house.gov/press-releases?ID=903CB876-08E5-439D-9B89-CA87096A4620", "Governor Lamont Announces FEMA Amends Major Disaster Declaration for August Storm to Include Public Assistance Program", "2024-10-28", "2024", "2024-10", "Democrat", "House", "CT", "James A. Himes", "H001047", "himes.house.gov", "himes", "https://himes.house.gov/press-releases", "page_html", "Hartford, CT \u2013 Governor Ned Lamont today announced that he has received notification from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) informing him that the major disaster declaration President Joe Biden approved for Fairfield County, Litchfield County, and New Haven County as a result of the historic rainfall and extreme flooding that region of Connecticut received on August 18, 2024, has been amended to include the governor\u2019s request for FEMA\u2019s Public Assistance Program.\n\nApproval of this program means that municipal governments within those three counties, as well as Connecticut state government and certain nonprofit organizations, are now eligible to apply for federal reimbursement of 75% of the costs associated with repairing and rebuilding uninsured damage to public infrastructure caused by the storm \u2013 such as roads, bridges, rail lines, schools, parks, and other facilities \u2013 and the costs associated with their emergency response and protective measures.\n\nPreviously, the declaration was approved to include the Individual Assistance Program \u2013 which makes federal disaster funding available to individuals to cover the costs of uninsured damage to private property and other related emergency actions \u2013 and the Hazard Mitigation Program, which supports state and local governments with the costs of taking actions that can reduce or eliminate long-term risk to people and property from natural disasters. The initial declaration also brought Small Business Administration loan assistance to eligible businesses and individuals.\n\nIn his application to FEMA, Governor Lamont estimates that state and local governments in these counties experienced roughly $14.3 million in damage to public infrastructure from this storm, with much of the damage impacting the transportation system, such as state and local roads and bridges, as well as the Waterbury Branch Line of Metro-North Railroad\u2019s New Haven Line.\n\nGovernor Lamont said, \u201cApproval of this program will be a relief to many towns that experienced significant damage to public infrastructure from this storm, especially to roads and bridges that were completely destroyed and needed swift rebuilding to ensure that residents who live in these areas have access to critical routes. The Biden-Harris administration has been extremely helpful in their response to this unprecedented flooding event, and I thank FEMA and the Small Business Administration for their on-the-ground actions in Connecticut to help our residents and businesses recover. I also thank the members of Connecticut\u2019s Congressional delegation for helping our state secure this declaration and the associated resources it provides.\u201d\n\nU.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal said, \u201cWe\u2019ve been holding our breath for this decision. In my multiple visits to towns hard hit by catastrophic flooding, I\u2019ve seen the huge costs and consequences of rebuilding that such historic federal aid will support. It will enable public assets like roads and bridges to be rebuilt \u2013 better and stronger for the new weather normal \u2013 sparing Connecticut taxpayers most of the fiscal burden. It\u2019s a day well worth the wait. Our state will be more resilient with less financial burden.\u201d\n\nU.S. Representative Rosa DeLauro (CT-03) said, \u201cThe inclusion of the Public Assistance Program in this disaster declaration is a crucial step in helping Connecticut communities recover and rebuild. With this, local governments can now access federal support to cover the costs of restoring essential public infrastructure damaged by the storm. Roads, bridges, and other critical public infrastructure connect us to our workplaces, schools, and our families. Rebuilding them is key to our recovery. This support from FEMA means that our towns won\u2019t have to bear the financial strain alone. I will continue to fight to ensure our communities receive the resources they need to recover.\u201d\n\nU.S. Representative Jahana Hayes (CT-05) said, \u201cAmending the major disaster declaration will unlock federal reimbursement resources for municipalities, state government and eligible nonprofits \u2013 reducing the financial burden in addition to restoring critical infrastructure. When Connecticut was impacted by record flooding, we received swift support from our federal partners. I remain grateful to the Biden-Harris administration for the continued support our residents, businesses, and communities have received to rebuild and recover.\u201d\n\nU.S. Representative Jim Himes (CT-04) said, \u201cSo many in southwest Connecticut are still rebuilding from August\u2019s devastating flooding. I was glad to help bring federal disaster relief to repair the damage and support families in need of assistance, and I\u2019m thrilled that the program has been expanded to offer additional aid without raising property taxes. With this change, our towns will have access to the resources they need to restore roads, bridges, and other critical public infrastructure that Connecticut\u2019s families depend on. Thank you to the Biden-Harris administration, Governor Lamont, and my Congressional colleagues for their continued efforts to support this disaster recovery effort.\u201d\n\nThe Lamont administration, through the Connecticut Division of Emergency Management and Homeland Security, will be in touch with municipal officials in the impacted areas to ensure they have information on how they can begin applying for federal disaster assistance under the Public Assistance Program.\n\nSo far under his declaration, FEMA has approved more than $8 million in federal disaster assistance to Connecticut residents through the Individual Assistance Program. The deadline for residents to apply for the Individual Assistance Program is November 19, 2024.", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-03-30T11:08:25Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://himes.house.gov/press-releases?ID=903CB876-08E5-439D-9B89-CA87096A4620"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.9886422194540501, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}