Roads were washed out. residences that are severely destroyed. erosion of riverbanks. When asked what the flood of 2024 had affected his town the most, Jeff Manville, the first selectman of Southbury, had a lot to chose from. However, he was particularly struck by the loss of one damaged building.
In terms of education, programming, and a gathering spot, our library is an essential part of our community, and it has been missed, Manville said. We had planned to launch in November, but thanks to our committed staff, we will be opening on September 2—two months earlier than we had originally planned.
A year after flooding ravaged areas of western Connecticut, the Southbury Public Library’s hastened reopening has become a landmark for locals. According to Manville, the restoration of the library is more about reestablishing a regular meeting spot that serves as a fulcrum for public life than it is about reclaiming physical space. In a recovery that has required patience and compromises all over town, its timely return is a bright spot.
Long-term reconstruction
One basic lesson from last year, according to Manville, is to properly rebuild infrastructure when it breaks. He claimed that Southbury’s approach to replacements and repairs is guided by that idea.
He stated, “We’ve learned that the right thing to do is to build back.” Regretfully, FEMA does not provide funding for resilience building.
According to Manville, the town bonded $8.5 million with the premise that we’re going to consider every project as a long-term investment in order to keep projects moving forward and prevent shortages.
Timelines and bureaucratic red tape delayed the recovery, according to the first selectman.
We’ve been battling FEMA over what we believe should be done and how. He claimed that it takes a very long time. “We were running out of time in our budget, so bonding became necessary,” he added. Additionally, we would theoretically have a deficit budget if we didn’t borrow the funds.
Government support on a grading scale
Manville expressed dissatisfaction with the volume and speed of outside assistance.
To be very honest, I’m really unhappy in our government representatives since they promised to help us [with] the Build Back Better initiative, but all we’ve gotten is FEMA, he added.
Southbury made a strong argument for the library at the state level.
We requested funding for our library from the state. Manville’s first response was, “No, you don’t qualify.” He cited a previous state award to Hartford after a broken pipe damaged their library to buttress his claim that the town’s circumstances justified assistance. He claimed that in the end, our state senators and reps pressured the state to obtain $350,000 in funding, which covers the 25% that FEMA does not account for in the estimate.
The issue of not having flood insurance persists.
Manville cited the library’s lack of flood insurance as one of the reasons state funding was required to repair it.
According to Manville, we were not covered on this. Obtaining flood insurance policies is [is] quite challenging. Unless they live in a flood zone, most people will not be able to obtain flood insurance.
Due to the lack of flood insurance in Southwestern Connecticut, insurers rejected a large number of claims following the storm. In September of last year, Connecticut Public was informed by George Bradner of the Connecticut Insurance Department that approximately 25% of flood damages occur outside of the FEMA-designated flood zones.
According to Bradner, you may be vulnerable to floods if it rains where you reside.
Bradner added that there are other ways to get flood insurance than private insurance.
According to Bradner, this is the reason behind the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). Flood insurance is typically not something that private insurers are interested in offering.
Additionally, FEMA provides online tools for contacting all flood insurance companies.
Manville, however, did not seem optimistic that Southbury would be any more prepared to adopt flood insurance if the floods occurred today.
Manville stated, “I don’t think it’s really changed much for any of us.”
Being prepared and reacting quickly
According to Manville, the town’s emergency plan was improved by a single key realization: provide funds quickly.
Although every situation is unique and we always learn something, he claimed that the secret to an emergency is, surprisingly, having funds accessible for the initial stages.
He claimed that the first selectman has instant access to a certain amount under Southbury’s charter for pressing requirements, while the Board of Selectmen can swiftly appropriate bigger quantities. “When the next storm hits, that structure helps crews deploy equipment for chainsaws or whatever we have to do without delay,” Manville said.
The weather is the new community focus.
Residents’ and their first selectman’s perspectives on the weather have been altered by the experience.
I always go outside and look up at the sky and plead, “Please don’t get darker,” if I notice a severe weather warning, thunderstorms, or anything else approaching. “Avoid getting green,” Manville said. I think, “Okay, here comes one big, a real concentrated cell,” when I see the cells approaching on the radar. Don’t form another one, please. And during the deluge, that’s what took place. They continued to form, to reform, to reform, and to approach us directly into an alley.
Manville stated that the lesson is not limited to Southbury, but he hopes the town would never experience a recurrence.
He stated that although it would never occur again, it might happen in a different town next to us. All of us are attempting to be decent citizens. When called upon, we must assist one another.
A reminder to be ready
Manville gave locals and emergency personnel credit for averting the worst possible outcomes.
“I’m grateful that there were no fatalities in Southbury,” he remarked.
He called for ongoing, realistic readiness.
“We always remind people to be ready,” he said. You ought to have some water and certain necessities. You ought to have some food in cans.
Additionally, he advised paying attention to evacuation orders.
According to Manville, people should understand that when they advise leaving or evacuating, they should actually do so. I understand that there are many sentimental items and situations in which you wish to keep your house safe, but you absolutely must leave.
