FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: February 18, 2005

CONNECTICUT DELEGATION HAILS STATE EMERGENCY DECLARATION FOLLOWING JANUARY SNOWSTORM

WASHINGTON - The federal government has declared a state of emergency in Connecticut that will help communities recover from the severe weather conditions that struck the state in late January, Connecticut’s congressional delegation announced today. Eligible towns and cities in all eight Connecticut counties may apply for federal funding through the Connecticut Office of Emergency Management to assist with snow removal costs following a snowstorm that occurred January 22-23.

“The January 22-23 snowfall event, as well as others that occurred in December, have nearly exhausted the State of Connecticut and local municipalities’ snow removal budgets,” the Connecticut delegation said in a statement. “This federal funding will help ensure that cities and towns across the state have the resources necessary for continued snow removal and cleanup operations, and to ensure the public safety.”

Earlier this month, Senators Chris Dodd and Joe Lieberman, and Representatives Nancy Johnson, Christopher Shays, Rosa DeLauro, John Larson and Rob Simmons sent a letter to President George W. Bush, asking that he approve Governor M. Jodi Rell’s request for a state emergency declaration under the Stafford Act due to “blizzard warnings, high winds, and life-threatening emergency conditions” and “documented snowfall amounts in accordance with the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) criteria for federal assistance.”

The State of Connecticut Department of Transportation (DOT) has estimated snow removal costs for January 22-23 to total approximately $3 million. Municipal snow removal costs remain to be calculated fully but are anticipated to range from $6 million to $12 million.

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