(HARTFORD, CT) – Governor Ned Lamont today announced that President Joe Biden has authorized an emergency declaration enabling personnel and equipment from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to assist state and local emergency response teams with the possibility of additional flooding in New London County resulting from the January 10, 2024, severe storm, including a potential breach of the privately owned Fitchville Pond Dam in Bozrah.
The declaration means that federal personnel and equipment can quickly mobilize and assist in actions that will protect lives and property and lessen the threat of a catastrophe should it be determined that such immediate action is needed. The declaration applies to all of New London County, including the Mohegan Tribal Nation and the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation.
State and local teams have been on the ground monitoring the dam since officials discovered that it was leaking following the storm, and several contractors were brought in to take actions to prevent the situation from worsening, including through the building of a cofferdam to serve as a backup and prevent potential future damage.
“We’ve had state and local emergency response teams monitoring this privately owned dam around the clock to ensure that the situation does not worsen, and this presidential declaration gives us an added layer of assistance from our federal partners to immediately protect the region and the people who live in the area should it be needed,” Governor Lamont said. “The water level on the Yantic River has significantly decreased over the last couple of days, but we want to do everything we can to make sure those who live in the area remain safe. I thank President Biden for taking these actions and providing Connecticut with these lifesaving resources.”
The Lamont administration is continuing to work with towns, businesses, and individuals to conduct detailed damage assessments 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 property. Any such funding to support those efforts requires the approval of a separate declaration.