First Selectman Dan Rosenthal announced to a joint meeting of the Boards of Selectmen, Finance, and the Legislative Council on Monday, August 20, that Newtown, along with a number of affected communities across the region, had received notification that a federal disaster declaration had been conveyed.

This is the first step in a process that will eventually reimburse the municipality for part or most of the public funds expended to respond to and address related damage from a macroburst that struck the town on May 15.

That same system spawned tornadoes, along with damaging winds and rain, that caused widespread damage in Brookfield, Danbury, New Milford, Oxford, Ridgefield, Southbury, Winsted, Bethany, Hamden, Cheshire, Durham, Seymour, North Haven, Beacon Falls, and Wallingford. The storm was also blamed for several injuries and two fatalities.

Mr Rosenthal told the gathering of local officials that in the case of individual homeowner damage, “that piece is still being evaluated.”

“When that piece comes through, we will share that information with the public,” he said. “But for now, at least we can begin the process of getting the town reimbursed for, hopefully for the lion’s share of the expense we laid out for the storm [cleanup].”

Governor Dannel Malloy dispatched a concurrent announcement Monday stating that his request for a major disaster declaration had been approved for public assistance for New Haven and Fairfield Counties.

“This declaration will provide much needed financial assistance to our municipalities and the state,” Governor Malloy said. “These storms had a devastating impact, causing significant damage that is still being cleaned up and repaired months later. I thank the federal government for continuing to be a partner in these efforts.”

In addition, all counties and tribal nations in Connecticut are eligible to apply for assistance under the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Hazard Mitigation Grant Program, which provides assistance for actions taken to prevent or reduce long-term risk to life and property from natural hazards.

The Connecticut Congressional Delegation also applauded news that President Donald Trump had granted the declaration.

“This Major Disaster Declaration will unleash federal dollars to the state and municipalities who were on the front lines of responding to the massive damage and destruction from the severe storms and tornadoes that hit Connecticut on May 15,” the delegation stated. “We met with many residents and local leaders and saw the hardships they faced in restoring power, rebuilding homes, and clearing trees. We will continue to urge the White House to approve direct aid to individual homeowners — a request still under review.”

The Connecticut Congressional delegation urged President Trump to support Governor Malloy’s request for a presidential disaster declaration.

The May 15 storms spawned not only tornadoes, but a waterspout, tennis ball-sized hail, and a straight-line windstorm, and caused significant damage across a wide swath of western and central Connecticut.

Newtown officials hope to see as much as $1.5 million returned to the community from the Federal Emergency Management Agency reimbursement. Rob Sibley, Deputy Director of Emergency Management is the identified personnel responsible for local Disaster Recovery. Upon learning of the declaration news, he said, “This is a good step towards Newtown’s recovery process. The announcement identifies the recognition of the storm and the level of damage it inflicted on Newtown and its citizens.”