Some Connecticut Residents Struggle Through FEMA Application Process
NORWALK, Conn. (CBSNewYorK) -- Connecticut residents have until Dec. 31 – just one more month – to file for individual disaster assistance from the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
And as WCBS 880's Fran Schneidau reported, some residents were bewildered and frustrated by the process.
WCBS 880's Fran Schneidau reports
Podcast
One man from the Roatan section of Norwalk suffered serious damage to his waterfront home during Superstorm Sandy. Now bunking with family in Massachusetts, he wondered when, or even if, he could ever move back.
"All the interviews and the inspections have taken place, but none of the paperwork has been submitted yet, and I don't know how long that process is likely to take," he said.
It was all brand new territory, the man said.
"We're not veterans at this," he said. "We have no idea."
On hand to assist the residents through the red tape was U.S. Rep. Jim Himes (D-Conn.)
"This is the federal government, so there's a process," he said. "There's paperwork and that sort of thing, so my job at a moment like this is to make sure that people understand what's available for them out there and how they can access those resources."
Late last month, Gov. Dannel Malloy estimated the financial tally for Sandy at about $360 million. But that does not include the cost of the damage to Connecticut's infrastructure.
Malloy said the cost of repairing airports, bridges, beaches, boardwalks, and state parks could run into the hundreds of millions of dollars.
Please leave your comments below...
