Esty, Blumenthal, Murphy Announce Over $1 Million to Help Homeowners and the Environment Along Pomperaug River

Statement

Today, Congresswoman Elizabeth Esty and Senators Richard Blumenthal and Chris Murphy joined First Selectman Ed Edelson to announce a grant award, made through FEMA's Hazard Mitigation Grant Program, to fund the acquisition and demolition of nine properties in Southbury in a flood-prone area of town. The properties were damaged in 2011 as a result of three major flooding events that occurred within the space of five to six months. Each house suffered flooding above the first floor elevation, resulting in property damage, ground erosion, loss of personal belongings, and structural damage to the houses. The grant will allow the area to be designated as open space along the Pomperaug River.

"Four years ago, homeowners along this river were forced to leave precious belongings behind and evacuate their homes in emergency situations," Esty said. "We are here today to ensure that this dangerous flooding is a thing of the past. I want to thank First Selectman Edelson, my colleagues, Senators Blumenthal and Murphy, and officials at FEMA and the CT Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection for working with us to secure this Hazard Mitigation grant. These funds will allow us to eliminate long-term risk to homes in this area while creating another beautiful open space for this community to enjoy."

"These homes suffered severe, recurring flooding--damaging property and placing homeowners and first responders at risk," said Blumenthal. "These federal funds will provide the town of Southbury the resources they need to acquire these properties and remove the homes--the best course of action for public safety, the environment, and for taxpayers. I applaud the town of Southbury for their proactive leadership, and look forward to continuing to work with the town through the completion of this important work."

"I'm glad that Southbury can finally move forward with this project and help residents transition these dangerous, flood-prone properties along the Pomperaug River into a safe, public space for all residents to enjoy," Murphy said. "Connecticut's citizens deserve to have peace of mind knowing that their homes and livelihoods are out of harm's way, and I'd like to thank FEMA for making this possible."

"This grant will enable us to help homeowners and the environment at the same time while saving the Federal Government money in the long run due by removing these houses from the Flood Plain," noted First Selectman Ed Edelson. "I cannot thank Carol Hubert enough for her professionalism in working with the homeowners and her perseverance in working through the changes in this important Federal program over the past four years."

"This project is a good example of what can be accomplished through collaborative working relationships," Edelson continued. "We worked closely with Representative Elizabeth Esty, Senators Chris Murphy and Richard Blumenthal, DESPP/DEMHS, SHPO, and FEMA personnel to finalize this grant."

The properties were damaged during three events: the first event occurred in March 2011 when the Pomperaug River overflowed from snow melting and from rains and spring thaw; the second event, Tropical Storm Irene, occurred in August; the third event, Tropical Storm Lee, occurred in September. On at least one occasion, the town's first responders were instrumental in evacuating residents from the rising flood waters.

The award -- $1,086,546 -- will reimburse the cost of expenses that will be incurred by the town. Of the $1,086,546, $415,007 was already awarded by FEMA to the town in March 2015 for four of the properties on Flood Bridge Road. The town has already begun the work with respect to the four properties.

Recently, FEMA awarded the remaining funds to the remaining five residential properties in the flood-prone area in town. These five properties had been tied up in FEMA's environmental/historic preservation review until the review was recently completed.

Once the properties are acquired and razed, the land will be designated as open space and will become part of the Pomperaug River Greenway, providing a park-like setting along the river for the public to enjoy. One of the properties is adjacent to Cedarland Park, a small "pocket park" in the neighborhood that has been the target of the Pomperaug River Watershed Coalition recently in their efforts to remove invasive non-native plants and replace them with flowering, native species.

The overall cost of the project is $1,448,728, with FEMA covering 75% of the cost. FEMA will send the funds to the state Department of Emergency Management and Homeland Security, which then reimburses the town. The town may request reimbursement in stages, including for all funds expended to date on the project, or wait until the end and thereby submit only one final reimbursement. Because the grant is over $1 million, Congress had to approve the award through its Large Project Notification process.

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