Gov. Dannel P. Malloy, Sen. Joseph Lieberman, and Sen. Richard Blumenthal discussed the state’s $3.2 billion emergency supplemental budget request with Jeffrey Zients, acting director of the White House Office of Management & Budget (OMB), on a Monday afternoon phone call held to review the damage sustained from the two 2011 storms and superstorm Sandy.
The Governor’s Office informed the state’s congressional delegation last week that Connecticut will seek:
- $620 million for prevention and mitigation measures—$495 million for municipalities and $125 million for the state.
- $2.5 billion would fund upgrading power transmission systems, replacing and hardening current infrastructure, relocating power lines underground, and establishing micro-grids in selected high density areas.
“The storms that have impacted the state over the past few years have clearly demonstrated the need to upgrade our utility systems, flood protection, and water and sewage infrastructure,” said Governor Malloy.
Governor Malloy and Senators Lieberman and Blumenthal discussed with Zients the cumulative impact of the two 2011 storms—Tropical Storm Irene and the October nor’easter—as well as last month’s Tropical Storm Sandy. More than a billion dollars in damage has been reported by homeowners, businesses, and government in Connecticut.
Despite Connecticut’s preparation for bad weather, cumulative damage has occurred across the state that requires additional federal assistance to expedite recovery and prevent future catastrophic damage. Based on early reports from larger coastal municipalities, and the state’s evaluation after the two 2011 storms, infrastructure hardening—especially along the coastline—and resiliency initiatives for Connecticut’s power grid are estimated to cost $3.2 billion.
OMB will submit an Emergency Supplemental spending request to Congress later this week.
