Connecticut State Division of Emergency Management and Homeland Security

August 18-19, 2024: Severe Flooding Disaster

Governor Lamont Announces President Biden Approved Request for a Major Disaster Declaration due to August Severe Flooding in Western Connecticut - Litchfield, New Haven, and Fairfield Counties

Incident Overview

On August 18, 2024, a rainstorm approached the State of Connecticut, and quickly intensified unexpectedly. Flash Flood warnings were originally issued at noon until 1:30PM for Fairfield and New Haven counties by the National Weather Service (NWS), estimating the rainfall between 1 to 2 inches per hour. Litchfield County was issued a Flash Flood warning at 3:40PM until 8:00PM. The Flash Flood Warnings for Fairfield and New Haven counties were extended until 12:15AM on August 19th. Up to almost 16 inches of rain fell in 6-8 hours in some locations. It was determined that the rainfall was significant enough to qualify as a 1,000-year flood in some areas, and 50, 100, 200, and 500 year flood in other areas. Peak rainfall amounts exceeded 3 inches of water per hour, and 7 inches in three hours in a band from the Town of Monroe to the Town of Oxford both located in Connecticut. The return frequency for this rainfall was greater than 1,000 years. Connecticut also experienced major river flooding to include the Housatonic, Little River, and Naugatuck rivers.

The Division of Emergency Services and Homeland Security (DEMHS) activated its regional offices starting at 1PM on August 18th, and actively opened virtual emergency operations at 5PM on August 18th. The virtual emergency operations remained open throughout the night and continued throughout the day on August 19th. Multiple state agencies and local personnel, including Connecticut DOT and Connecticut DEEP, worked throughout the day and night on August 18 throughout August 19, and continuing today and into the coming days if not weeks. The state Urban Search and Rescue Swiftwater Team was activated and assisted in over 100 evacuations on August 18th during the day and throughout the night.

Funding and Assistance Programs

On Friday, September 20, 2024, Governor Lamont announced that President Biden approved the request for a Major Disaster declaration for Litchfield, New Haven, and Fairfield counties. The Major Disaster Declaration makes funding available to residents and businesses affected by the flooding in the specified counties. Assistance can include grants for temporary housing and home repairs, low interest loans to cover uninsured property losses, and other programs to help individuals and business owners recover from the effects of the disaster. Funding programs include FEMA's Individual Assistance and the Small Business Administration's (SBA) disaster assistance loan programs. 

Residents who sustained damages in Litchfield, New Haven, and Fairfield counties can apply for FEMA Individual assistance by:

Residents and businesses can apply for SBA assistance here.

  • The deadline to file for physical damage is November 19, 2024
  • The deadline to file for economic injury is June 20, 2025
  • Hartford and Middlesex counties are also eligible for SBA assistance, for economic injury loans only. 

Initial Disaster Recovery Efforts

On August 19, 2024, at 12:45PM, Governor Ned Lamont, signed a State of Civil Preparedness Emergency regarding the extensive and severe flooding. In addition, Governor Lamont submitted a request to President Joe Biden and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) seeking a federal emergency declaration for Fairfield County, New Haven County, and Litchfield County in response to the extreme flooding from the historic rainfall that portions of Connecticut received earlier this week. This was approved on August 21st, opening up some federal assistance as Connecticut continues to assess the damage and calculate whether the cost thresholds have been met that would enable the state to receive a major disaster declaration from the federal government, which could result in the release of federal funding to support the rebuilding and repairing of damage to eligible public and uninsured private property.

DEMHS is actively working with state agencies and Voluntary Organizations Active in Disasters (VOADs) to collect information about available programs and services to support survivors and aid in disaster recovery efforts. More disaster recovery resources will be posted here in the future

For more information on recovery resources, please see the August 18-19 Severe Storm Recovery Resource Center.

Initial Damage Assessments

Public Assistance Initial Damage Assessments

The Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection, Division of Emergency Management and Homeland Security (DESPP/DEMHS) is undertaking this initial damage assessment survey of damages from the severe rain and flooding which moved through Connecticut on 18-19 August 2024. To be eligible for FEMA Public Assistance, the state must demonstrate that damages as a direct result of the storm meet a statewide indicator (currently in excess of $6.6 million) in addition to each county meeting its own eligibility indicator (from $4.4 million for Fairfield County to $535,522.80 for Windham County). If the damage numbers are near or above the indicators, the state will request a formal joint FEMA/State Preliminary Damage Assessment (PDA) be conducted.

Municipal leaders and Emergency Management Directors in Fairfield, New Haven, and Litchfield counties should have received guidance for reporting damages from their DEMHS Regional Coordinator. Please contact your Regional Coordinator or the DEMHS Public Assistance Unit with any questions. 

Click here to learn more about the FEMA Public Assistance Program.

 

Individual Assistance Damage Assessment Data Collection

DEMHS is requesting damages from the August 18-19, 2024 flooding event be reported using this online Residential & Business Damage Assessment Form. It is critical to document all damages with photos before making any repairs. Residents and business owners should also contact their local emergency management director and report damages to the local office. It is imperative that before repairs or recovery efforts begin, affected residents and business owners should document the damages. 

 If you experience issues with the reporting form, please contact DEMHS.IA@ct.gov 

If a federal Major Disaster is declared by the President, dependent on the severity of damage, FEMA's Individual Assistance (IA) and its related programs may be made available to the affected areas. 

Click here to learn more information about the FEMA Individual Assistance Program.