FEMA Participation
Governor Dannel P. Malloy today announced that he has submitted a request to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), asking the agency to establish a field office in northeastern Connecticut that would conduct a preliminary damage assessment for the purpose of determining the extent and impact of the approximately 34,130 homes in the area with foundations that are at risk of crumbling and actually collapsing due to what the state believes is the result of a natural disaster, according to the result of information obtained over the course of its investigation into this ongoing situation.
In a letter to FEMA Administrator Craig Fugate, the Governor explains that potentially tens of thousands of Connecticut residents are at risk, and while the state government, local governments, and a coalition of insurance companies have been collaborating on a strategy to address this problem, federal assistance and the expertise of FEMA are critical.
"In April 2016, the Lieutenant Governor and I directed the Connecticut Division of Emergency Management and Homeland Security (DEMHS) to contact FEMA Region 1 to investigate what assistance the agency could provide these homeowners," Governor Malloy wrote. "The informal response we received back in an email from the FEMA Regional Administrator was that the crumbling foundation issue did not appear to constitute an emergency or major disaster. Instead, it was suggested that it might be a consumer product defect or construction safety issue, similar in nature to the 2010 Chinese drywall issue in Florida, which resulted in corroded copper and affected air-conditioning and heating units, but was not considered by FEMA to be an emergency or major disaster.
"Since that time of our informal request to FEMA Region 1, we have further scientific information that this potentially catastrophic damage appears to be the result of a natural disaster - specifically the reaction of a naturally occurring mineral, pyrrhotite, to oxygen and water. Pyrrhotite is an iron sulfide mineral, thus exposure to oxygen and water leads to a chemical reaction which results in deterioration, and disastrous results for a home foundation."
There are not any state or national building standards that regulate the percentage of pyrrhotite allowed in aggregate used for residential or commercial foundations. Governor Malloy argues that this mineral, when exposed to water, is so damaging that it should have not ever been considered for use in residential foundations. Because these building standards do not exist, this problem could easily cost anywhere between $100 million and $1 billion to fully remediate.
Governor Malloy, in collaboration with Lt. Governor Nancy Wyman, who has undertaken a leading role on this issue on behalf of the administration, continues to work with the various stakeholders involved in this issue - including homeowners, municipal and state officials, the state's federal delegation, and the insurance industry on this problem.
"While none of us can fully grasp the full weight this disaster has placed upon these homeowners, it is vital that we all come together to assist them," the Governor wrote.