Trump to the rescue?

Dec. 01--LEBANON -- Connecticut lawmakers are begging White House officials for disaster relief funding following September rainstorms that devastated many towns in the state, including Lebanon.

On Nov. 20, Gov. Dannel P. Malloy requested a major disaster declaration for Middlesex and New London counties because of the September rainstorms The governor's request also includes Hazard Mitigation Assistance for Connecticut and the tribal lands of the Mashantucket Pequot and Mohegan Tribes.

Connecticut's congressional delegation wrote a letter of support Friday to President Donald Trump requesting a presidential disaster declaration.

Those signing the letter were all Democrats: U. S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal; U. S. Sen. Chris Murphy; U.S. Rep. John Larson, D1st District; U.S. Rep. Joe Courtney, D- 2nd District; U.S. Rep. Rosa DeLauro, D3rd District; U.S. Rep. Jim Himes, D-4th District; and U.S. Rep. Elizabeth Esty, D5th District.

FLOOD-DAMAGED, Page 4

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Flood-damaged towns seek Trumpâ??s help

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" These efforts strained a state budget already stretched thin by the direct impact of a straight- line windstorm, four major winter storms in three weeks and the arrival of thousands of Puerto Ricans fleeing the aftermath of Hurricane Maria," the delegation wrote in the letter.

The delegation requested mitigation projects similar to those carried out after 2012's Superstorm Sandy.

The September storms heavily affected the towns of Clinton, Chester, Killingsworth, Norwich, East Haddam, Franklin, Sprague, Colchester, Haddam, Essex and Lebanon.

There were mandatory evacuations, school cancellations, power outages and people trapped in flooded vehicles.

Lebanon received about 7 inches of rain during the Sept. 25 storm.

Several roadways and bridges were washed out, like the Smith Road and Randall Road bridges, which are both still closed because of the damage.

According to preliminary estimates by Lebanon First Selectman Betsy Petrie, the Smith Road bridge will cost $314,000 to fix and the Randall Road bridge will cost $374,000 to fix.

Petrie also said there is expected to be several hundred thousand dollars of other roadway repairs, which includes staff overtime, to fix them.

"The water on the sides of the roads continue even now," Petrie said Friday. "Any amount of rain at all continues to flood the roads. The ground is still so saturated."

She expects to ask the board of finance to appropriate $1 million from the fund balance to begin working on the roadways. Petrie said the board of selectmen will meet Tuesday at 3 p.m. in Lebanon Town Hall to discuss the appropriation.

A town meeting to approve the funding would then be held in January, according to Petrie.

Petrie said the federal funding is a reimbursement plan and is not cash upfront.

"I'm glad that our delegation has supported this," Petrie said of the congressional funding request.

Follow Claire Galvin on Twitter -- @ CGalvinTC.

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