More than six years after Irene, five years after Sandy, and tens of millions of dollars later, Connecticut’s shoreline communities have been slow to embrace resiliency and now look much as they did before the storms hit. But there are exceptions.
Sandy
Flood insurance hikes arriving at a waterfront near you
Just over a year after shoreline politicians along with a panicked real estate industry and homeowners fought successfully to roll back scheduled dramatic increases in National Flood Insurance Program rates, most of them are back in only slightly modified form. As policies renew, shoreline homeowners are likely to face a new round of sticker shock, their penalty for living in flood zones.
Wind becoming a new Connecticut shoreline storm concern
With so much focus on preventing shoreline flooding in storms like Irene in Sandy, some worry we are ignoring another problem: wind.
For Alex Felson, opportunity knocks on Connecticut coast
Alex Felson, a landscape architect and urban ecologist at Yale, has found an opportunity to address climate and community issues on the battered, flooded and otherwise jeopardized Connecticut shoreline.
PURA requests temporary tree-trimming halt
The Public Utilities Regulatory Authority has “requested” Connecticut Light and Power and United Illuminating “curtail” their practices known as enhanced tree trimming and enhanced tree removal until it rules on tree trimming policies covering both utilities.
Connecticut panel does about-face on hazard mitigation funds
Connecticut shoreline homeowners who were victims of storm Sandy and had applied for federal funding to elevate their homes or have them purchased by the government will now have a shot at getting some money.
Hazard mitigation grant do-over
After a massive outcry from shoreline communities, the state emergency management office is being ordered to reconsider its decision to deny certain federal funds for all home elevations and buyouts related to storm Sandy.
No hazard mitigation funds for Connecticut shoreline homeowners
About a half-dozen shoreline communities are angered that none of their homes damaged by Storm Sandy will receive hazard-mitigation funding for elevations or buyouts.