U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal is touring the Valley today to assess damage from Monday’s floods.
He made his first stop at Oxford Town Hall at about 10 a.m., where he met with town officials before heading out to the Housatonic River along Route 34 to see the damage for himself.
Water levels at the Stevenson Dam Monday reached the fifth highest since the National Weather Service started recording. The river crested at 21.68 feet at about 2:15 p.m. Monday.
Blumenthal promised to seek out whatever federal funding is available to help those whose homes were wrecked or damaged, and also, to look into the early warning systems that are in place to be sure they are adequate.
“Any damage is serious,” Blumenthal said in a brief press conference before meeting with First Selectman Mary Ann Drayton-Rogers, Fire Chief Scott Pelletier, Resident Trooper Sgt. Daniel Semosky and several others in emergency services.
He outlined a plan to visit the entire Valley area affected by the rainstorm and snow melt.
“I’m here to see what the damage was,” Blumenthal said. “I’ll seek relief for the families, and better preventative measures.”
A member of his staff said Blumenthal will engage the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to be certain that FirstLight Power Resources Management LLC responded appropriately in its early warning systems and decision on when to open the floodgates and allow massive amounts of water to exit the Stevenson Dam.
FirstLight Power owns Stevenson Dam.
Blumenthal is scheduled to meet with Derby Mayor Anthony Staffieri, Shelton Mayor Mark Lauretti and emergency officials at 1 p.m. at the Maples neighborhood in Shelton, which was also heavily impacted by the flooding. Click here to read an article about a couple there waiting for federal funds to help flood-proof their home.
Click here to read all Valley Indy coverage of the flooding.
U.S. Rep. Rosa DeLauro will also visit the areas affected by the Housatonic River flooding this weekend. She is scheduled to arrive in Derby at 11 a.m. Saturday to meet with Staffieri.
The forecast from the National Weather Service:
Today: Rain, mainly before 10am. High near 52. East wind 7 to 10 mph becoming south. Chance of precipitation is 80 percent. New rainfall amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch possible.
Tonight: Partly cloudy, with a low around 31. West wind around 6 mph.
Saturday: Mostly cloudy, with a high near 52. West wind between 6 and 14 mph, with gusts as high as 25 mph.
Saturday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 35. West wind between 3 and 8 mph.
