SHARE

Officials Inspect Progress Of Sandy Cleanup On Fairfield County Coast

STAMFORD, Conn. -- U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal, U.S. Rep. Jim Himes, Stamford Mayor Michael Pavia and Laurel Blatchford, executive director of President Obama’s Hurricane Sandy Rebuilding Task Force, wrapped up a daylong tour of rebuilding projects along the Connecticut coast by inspecting the progress since Superstorm Sandy at Cummings Park Beach in Stamford on Friday afternoon.

From left, Hurricane Sandy Rebuilding Task Force Executive Director Laurel Blatchford, Rep. Jim Himes, Stamford Mayor Michael Pavia and Sen. Richard Blumenthal inspect Cummings Park Beach in Stamford.

From left, Hurricane Sandy Rebuilding Task Force Executive Director Laurel Blatchford, Rep. Jim Himes, Stamford Mayor Michael Pavia and Sen. Richard Blumenthal inspect Cummings Park Beach in Stamford.

Photo Credit: Eric Gendron
Stamford Mayor Michael Pavia, right, talks about rebuilding projects with U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal at Cummings Beach Park on Friday.

Stamford Mayor Michael Pavia, right, talks about rebuilding projects with U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal at Cummings Beach Park on Friday.

Photo Credit: Eric Gendron

Blumenthal, Himes and Blatchford inspected Sandy damage and recovery at Sound School in New Haven and Marina Village in Bridgeport before finishing their tour in Stamford.

All three officials said the locations had come a long way since the destructive October storm but said much work was still left to be done.

"There's a long way to go, but that's not for a lack of effort," Blatchford said. "I'm really impressed by the approach the elected officials in the state are taking in the sense of working together."

Himes agreed with Blatchford, noting the progress in Stamford. But he was mindful of the hard work left to do in New Haven, Bridgeport and other coastal cities and towns.

"Some of the recovery has been rapid, some still has a long way to go," Himes said. "Unfortunately, some of these places need to be rebuilt, not just repaired."

The recovery projects in Stamford include rebuilding the hurricane wall, strengthening the power grid and reinforcing the beaches.

"These storms have become the new normal," Blumenthal said. "There's no telling where they will hit in the future, so we need to be as prepared as New Jersey and New York."

Blumenthal and Himes said that although the damage from Sandy was not as severe in Connecticut as it was in New Jersey and New York, they feel coastal towns in the state are just as deserving of federal funding to rebuild.

"We have pockets of destruction that are every bit as serious and severe as New York and New Jersey," Blumenthal said. "We want to make sure the insurance and the federal money that's supposed to go to homeowners and to businesses is actually there for them."

to follow Daily Voice Fairfield and receive free news updates.

SCROLL TO NEXT ARTICLE