Governor Rell: Municipalities, Businesses Need to Detail Losses from June 26 Tornado, Severe Storms

            Governor M. Jodi Rell today strongly urged communities and businesses affected by the severe storms that blew through central Connecticut last week to carefully gather information on losses and clean-up expenses so that the state can determine whether the costs meet the threshold for federal assistance.

            A line of severe thunderstorms rattled through the state the evening of June 26. The National Weather Service confirmed that an EF-1 tornado touched down in Wethersfield, packing winds of about 90 mph. It traveled 1.7 miles in three minutes, uprooting trees and sending them crashing down on houses, cars and power lines. Straight line wind did widespread damage in other parts of central Connecticut.

            “Homeowners, businesses and municipalities are still collecting the debris, assessing the damage and picking up the pieces from these exceptionally strong storms,” Governor Rell said. “We want to make sure that all of these losses are documented and tallied so that – if the damage is severe enough to qualify for federal aid – we can get the assistance to the people who need it. This is especially important when family, business and local government budgets are stretched thin by the ongoing recession.

            “The information has to be submitted to the federal government no later than July 14, so time is of the essence,” the Governor said. “Municipalities and businesses should forward their information to their local Emergency Management Director, who will then get the data to our state Department of Emergency Management and Homeland Security.”

            Cities and towns need to provide details of emergency expenses such as overtime costs – actual and projected – as well as the costs of materials; debris removal costs, including any contracted debris removal; and damage to municipal facilities or equipment, along with any related insurance information.

            Businesses should provide information about revenue lost as a result of storm-related interruptions as well as any inventory damage or loss. The Department of Emergency Management and Homeland Security (DEMHS) has a new form for businesses to use to record their losses, which is available on the DEMHS Web site at www.ct.gov/demhs.