CONNECTICUT, USA — Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont issued a reminder Wednesday to homeowners, renters and business owners in Fairfield County, Litchfield County and New Haven County.
His message is that there are only two weeks left to apply for federal disaster assistance to support recovery for uninsured or underinsured property damage experienced during the historic rainfall and severe floods on Aug. 18.
Tuesday, Nov. 19 is the deadline to apply for assistance from the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the U.S. Small Business Administration. The assistance is made available by the major disaster declaration approved for the three counties by President Joe Biden in September.
Lamont said that at this point, state officials are under the impression that most of the people who experienced damage from the storm and need disaster assistance have already begun the application process. However, he wants to remind anyone who may be waiting that they need to submit their applications by the deadline on Nov. 19.
“The extreme rainfall western Connecticut experienced a couple months ago was on historic levels, and FEMA and the Small Business Administration have been very supportive in helping individuals and businesses in their recovery. I thank our federal partners for the assistance they are providing in Connecticut,” Lamont said.
According to the state, survivors are encouraged to file insurance claims for property damage before applying for assistance. There are several ways to apply for FEMA assistance.
One can go in person to a Disaster Recovery Center located at the Southbury Town Hall at 501 Main St., which is open Monday to Friday from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Saturdays from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. An online option is also available here or through the FEMA mobile app.
They can also reach out to the FEMA Helpline by calling 1-800-621-3362. A Spanish option is available.
For assistance from the SBA, one can go to the Business Recovery Center located at Oxford Town Hall at 486 Oxford Road. It is open Mondays to Fridays from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. One can visit online here. One can also reach out over the phone at the SBA Customer Service Center at 1-800-659-2955. Those who are hard of hearing or deaf can call 1-800-877-8339.
The state notes that disaster assistance is not a substitute for insurance and can’t compensate for all the losses caused by the disaster. The assistance is meant to meet basic needs and supplement disaster recovery efforts.
While the deadline for most FEMA and SBA assistance programs is approaching, the SBA’s Economic Injury Disaster Loan program will stay open for businesses until June 20, 2025. The program offers working capital loans to help small businesses, small agricultural cooperatives, small businesses engaged in aquaculture and most private, nonprofit organizations of all sizes meet their ordinary and necessary financial obligations that cannot be met as a direct result of the disaster, according to the state. These loans are meant to assist through the disaster recovery period.
One can click here for more information from FEMA on Connecticut’s recovery from the storm and flooding.
----
Dalton Zbierski is a digital content producer and writer at FOX61 News. He can be reached at dzbierski@FOX61.com.
----
Do you have a story idea or something on your mind you want to share? We want to hear from you! Email us at newstips@fox61.com.
----
HERE ARE MORE WAYS TO GET FOX61 NEWS
Download the FOX61 News APP
iTunes: Click here to download
Google Play: Click here to download
Stream Live on ROKU: Add the channel from the ROKU store or by searching FOX61.
Steam Live on FIRE TV: Search ‘FOX61’ and click ‘Get’ to download.