BRIDGEPORT, Connecticut - Bridgeport lands millions of dollars to protect the city from further damage in another wave of federal funding in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy. It will be years before Connecticut's shoreline is restored from the immense hurricane that ripped houses from their foundations and tossed boats onto the beach.
Though improvements have been made, some haunting images linger along the Connecticut shoreline, which is what inspired city leads to scramble for federal dollars to ensure they are better prepared for another storm.
David Kooris, Bridgeport's director of planning and economic development says it is one thing to "repair" the damage, but Bridgeport wants to be proactive. Bridgeport has been granted $10 million, the largest federal grant received by the city's history.
Housing commissioner, Evonne Klein, says her department will help advise Bridgeport on how to best utilize the funds. The money will assist in the relocation of families who live in Marina Village, which is located in a flood plain. But mostly, this grant will be used for fortifications along the Long Island Sound. Kooris explains the city's plan to "include things like building new wetlands in Long Island Sound and Black Rock Harbor. It will include fortification, walls or levees to prevent storm impact of the magnitude that we saw in Sandy and Irene."
The state also received $11 million in this wave of funding to assist the restoration efforts, although it is not clear exactly who will benefit from that money. Priority will go to lower to moderate income homeowners whose primary residence was damaged.