WASHINGTON, DC—Congressman Jim Himes (CT-4) today called on the Connecticut Interagency Hazard Mitigation Committee to reconsider a controversial decision not to consider municipal grant requests for homeowners to elevate homes vulnerable to flooding in the community. The Hazard Mitigation Grant Program awards will instead be awarded to municipal infrastructure projects despite requests from municipal leaders to prioritize residents over projects. Individual homeowners believed funding would be available before the Committee announced its decision.
“The government should put people over projects, period. Constituents and municipal leaders have asked for months for Hazard Mitigation Program Grants to be made available to shoreline homeowners for elevation projects to prevent damage from future storms – some spending tens of thousands of dollars for the plans to do so – only for a state committee to shut homeowners out of funding in favor of projects identified as lower priority by town CEOs. I appreciate Governor Malloy’s call for the Interagency Hazard Mitigation Committee to reconsider its decision, and I urge them to review each individual application swiftly and transparently on the merits to best alleviate future possible damage.