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08/17/2020 12:00 AMWhere were you eight years ago? As a state currently in the dark as a result of Tropical Storm Isaias, the flashback would put many in a similar circumstance. In August 2011, Connecticut faced off with Tropical Storm Irene and only 10 months later (in October 2012) our state was struck hard again by Superstorm Sandy.
At that time I was the first selectman of East Lyme and I focused my energies on restoring community services and acquiring financial assistance from FEMA following each of those catastrophic events. While FEMA wasn’t very amendable to provide the funding initially our town was eligible for, I pressed on and worked closely with the Division of Emergency Management and Homeland Security at Connecticut’s Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection (DESPP). Thanks to the diligent work of Dana Conover and the staff at DESPP, we worked together to file a claim with FEMA and make sure that our claim was complete and identified all the town’s qualifications for relief funds.
Flash forward to 2020, as the state and East Lyme now dig out from under Tropical Storm Isaias, I was notified last week that the payouts from those two claims have been finally approved. Just last week, the Town of East Lyme was notified that payments are soon to arrive for $836,548.76 and $894,058.85 in restoration payments for Irene and Sandy, respectively.
I’m pleased to report over $1.7 million is now available for the Town of East Lyme when, arguably, the town needs it most. I’m proud of the work my team and I completed back in 2011 and 2012 which now provides a meaningful solution for a town I continue to serve. I look forward to seeing the current town leadership responsibly invest these funds in a manner to protect our seaside community and move the Town of East Lyme forward.