BOSTON – The Federal Emergency Management Agency will be sending nearly $1.3 million to the State of Connecticut to reimburse it for the administrative costs of recovering from the tornadoes and storms that struck the state on May 15, 2018.
The Connecticut Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection will receive a total of $1,275,694 in federal funding through FEMA’s Public Assistance grant program to reimburse it for the costs of administering the Public Assistance grants that the state received to respond to and recover from the storm.
A line of thunderstorms hit the southwest corner of the state, spawning multiple tornadoes and high winds that left two dead and hundreds of thousands without power after millions of trees were knocked down.
Hundreds of homes were damaged and several state parks – Sleeping Giant, Kettletown, and Wharton Brook – were temporarily closed as a result of downed trees and damaged infrastructure.
FEMA awarded nearly $19 million in Public Assistance grants to state and local governments for the disaster. Under the program, the agency awards administrative costs calculated as a percentage of the grants provided.
“FEMA is pleased to be able to reimburse Connecticut for the administrative costs incurred recovering from this storm,” said FEMA Region 1 Regional Administrator Lori Ehrlich. “Recovery is a process that takes time and effort by state and local governments, and this grant recognizes those realities.”
FEMA’s Public Assistance program is an essential source of funding for states and communities recovering from a federally declared disaster or emergency.