Norwalk has received $80,160 and should be getting about $240k more according to a report in The Norwalk Advocate. Total claims were $482,900. From Kerry Willis’ story:
Alvord said he was disappointed by how long reimbursement took.
The Norwalk DPW director said he met with a FEMA representative for several weeks, taking the agent to each site that was flooded or otherwise damaged.
“The information we were required to file for these claims was, in my opinion, ludicrous,” Alvord said.
FEMA needed details such as the horsepower of each vehicle DPW used in storm cleanup and the vacation days taken to date by staff who participated in the effort, Alvord said.
Alvord speculated that the city got quicker handling of its claims than other cities because of honesty.
“We played it straight up,” said Alvord. In Norwalk, city workers rebuilt collapsed roadways at Kreiner Lane and Bonnybrook Trail. Flood waters washed away clay on a baseball diamond and damaged athletic fields at Silvermine School, downing trees and destroying a fence.
On the Norwalk River north of the Perry Avenue Bridge, about 300 feet of levies built by the Army Corps of Engineers in the 1960s failed and needed replacement. Flooding occurred around 144 Silvermine Ave. when a culvert between Silvermine Brook and the Silvermine River was damaged and clogged with storm debris.
The one Norwalk claim that FEMA contested, eventually agreeing to compensate at 50 percent of costs, was for clearing debris that blocked the Norwalk River behind Riverbend Commons.
Alvord said residents of Riverbend condominiums paid more than $5,000 for Dumpsters and workers to unclog the river and alleviate flooding.
The DPW director said he has recommended that the city reimburse the residents in full. The city cut down overgrown trees that collected debris at the site, and stumps and sediment still must be removed, Alvord said.
Mayor Richard Moccia said he was generally satisfied with reimbursement the city received.
source: Advocate, Area begins to get aid for April storm cleanup, By Kerry Wills, October 20 2007
