Trump Declares Emergency In CT After Tropical Storm Isaias

CONNECTICUT — President Donald Trump has approved an emergency declaration for Connecticut after Tropical Storm Isaias knocked out power to hundreds of thousands of customers and felled trees across the state, according to Gov. Ned Lamont.

Lamont spoke with Trump Thursday night to explain the situation and urge him to expedite the process. The approval will allow the state to request federal assistance. Around 52,000 United Illuminating and 415,000 Eversource customers remained without power Friday morning. It may take until Tuesday for Eversource to restore power to nearly all customers.

“Approval of this declaration is very much appreciated as hundreds of thousands in our state remain without power days after the storm made landfall in Connecticut,” Lamont said. “We’re continuing to work with our federal and local counterparts to assess the damage and may seek additional federal support during the response, recovery, and rebuilding process.”

The approval means that local towns will get full reimbursement for many storm-related costs, Lamont said.

Lamont’s administration is conducting a damage assessment to determine if the state qualifies for a major disaster declaration, which would let local towns receive additional more federal assistance.

A major disaster declaration could provide aid to homeowners whose property sustained damage, said Sen. Richard Blumenthal.

See also: Legislators Want Hearing On Eversource Storm Response

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