Connecticut seeks federal aid for Bridgeport Tornado Disaster

Senators Chris Dodd (D-CT) and Joe Lieberman (ID-CT) and the entire Connecticut

Congressional delegation wrote to President Barack Obama this week, urging him to declare a major disaster for Fairfield County as a result of the severe weather, including a tornado that occurred on June 24, 2010.

The tornado, an anomaly in Fairfield County, had wind speeds of up to 100 mph, collapsed or partially collapsed nine buildings, leveling three of them, and caused as much as $3 million dollars in damages to the city.

The statement issued by Connecticut’s delegation calls for the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to declare the incident a major disaster and says that the communities affected, including Trumbull and Stratford, will require Individual and Public Assistance in order to recover from the damages.

Fifty Bridgeport families were left temporarily homeless, and some roads within the city remain closed. The declaration would provide federal assistance to the communities, businesses and residents impacted by the storm’s damages. “I’ve never seen a storm do so much damage in such a short period of time,” said Mayor Bill Finch. “Most of the damage was concentrated in the East Side and East End of the City. We’re working with the Governor and with our legislative delegation to seek federal disaster aid.”

Because Connecticut has no county government, the cost of repairs is placed on the state and the local areas that were affected. Flooding across the state is also impeding the recovery process, though the excessive number of storms in March was declared a major disaster. Without “major disaster” status, Bridgeport and Stratford, the places hardest hit by the twister, cannot receive federal aid in their reconstruction and civilian relocation efforts.

According to the letter addressed to President Obama by the Connecticut congressional delegation, Connecticut is “in desperate need of assistance… that will only become available with the declaration of a major disaster.

Therefore, we strongly support the State’s request for federal assistance and urge you to make this declaration.”