The storm may end up blowing through the town's snow removal budget.
Connecticut may apply for a federal disaster declaration for the towns most heavily affected by Tuesday’s blizzard, but Governor Dannel Malloy has said he’s not sure whether it will succeed.
Malloy visited Stonington in the far southeastern corner of the state Wednesday to see the cleanup efforts for himself.
Like many towns in Eastern Connecticut, Stonington was clobbered with more than two feet of snow and heavy gusting winds.
First Selectman George Crouse remarked that the town is slowly returning to normal. On Wednesday, Crouse commented on the condition of Stonington roads: “Our connectors are in good shape. Our side roads, our secondary roads, I’d say are medium. And our tertiaries [roads] probably still have a little snow on them." The Selectman went on to point out that "our problem all day [Tuesday] -- we’d plow and then the wind would blow it back over.”
Plowing crews worked for more than 50 hours straight to contain the wintry mess. The National Guard was called in to help with the effort to clear school parking lots so that the district could reopen Thursday. Crouse is concerned that the storm may end up blowing through the town’s snow removal budget.
However, Malloy noted that the area must meet a stringent standard if it’s to qualify for financial help from FEMA. Qualification for FEMA aid was complicated by a record snowfall two years ago, which raised the standard for what is considered a disaster.
"If we can help people recover some of their expense we’d love to do that," Malloy told Crouse at a press conference. "We take that seriously. We’ll do it. We’ll figure out whether we’ve got a shot. If we have anything approaching a shot, we’ll put them in, I assure you.”
Overall, Malloy has said he is pleased with how all municipalities responded to the storm and cited an improvement in the coordination between the state and towns, making recovery efforts more effective.
