Advocates with the Greater Hartford African American Alliance gathered at the Capitol Monday to call for oversight of flood mitigation funds.
HARTFORD, Conn. — More than 2 inches of rain in 90 minutes. That was Friday, amid the wettest July on record, and one of the reasons advocates with the Greater Hartford African American Alliance say addressing flooding concerns in North Hartford needs to be a priority.
“We can guarantee that North Hartford will be underwater if we don’t address these issues,” said Attorney and former City Councilor Cynthia Jennings.
Lawmakers set aside $100 million dollars for long-term structural upgrades, including $5 million for homes and businesses overwhelmed by flood waters. But advocates, including the Hartford branch of the NAACP, say they have concerns about transparency, especially regarding an older bucket of money: $500 thousand in Flood Mitigation Assistance Funding from 2021 managed by the City of Hartford.
“The experience has not shown that when monies are received, they’re actually all spent for what it was that they were allocated,” said J. Stan McCauley, Chair of Greater Hartford African American Alliance.
“There are victims who have been denied funding based on the City of Hartford’s application process,” said Bridgitte Prince. “If you were a victim of sewage overflow, The City of Hartford has asked if you have any back child support payments. The City of Hartford has asked if you have any delinquent parking tickets.”
But the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) says it is planning for greater oversight of projects to fix the system.
“Based on information provided by MDC, projects on Tower Ave and Durham Street as well as expansion of the backwater valve programs are projected to begin in late August to early September. DEEP has been expanding technical review and approval of plans and specifications, to promote expedited implementation and state funding,” a spokesman for DEEP said Monday.
Still, advocates say that’s not fast enough.
“We want to know why the MDC is moving at a snail’s pace,” Prince said.
At issue: separating merged stormwater and sewer pipes that can overwhelm intersections and basements in the North End during heavy rain. Mayor Luke Bronin says that will take a long time to fix.
“We have a stormwater system that was built for a different era,” Bronin said.
Comptroller Sean Scanlon’s office is managing a grant program to compensate flooding victims.
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