Sam Gurwitt Photo
A public works crew clears brush after Isaias.
A month, and a month and a half, after storms ripped through Hamden, crews are still picking up the brush from downed trees all over town. On Monday, the town got the bill for that cleanup.
At the beginning of August, Tropical Storm Isaias toppled trees, blocked roads, and knocked a third of the town out of power.
Then, on Aug. 28, another storm tore through town. This time, a tornado touched down, continuing Hamden’s tradition of bad tornado luck.
Monday evening, Public Works Director Craig Cesare told the Legislative Council that in total, the storm cleanup will probably cost $414,000. $114,000 of that has already been spent on overtime expenses as crews worked long hours, often overnight, to clear roads and dangerous trees. The remaining $300,000 will pay contractors to grind the debris once town crews are done collecting it from roadsides throughout town.
The council authorized a financial transfer of $414,000 to pay for the cleanup with money from an emergency and contingency account.
Cesare said he is hopeful that the town will be reimbursed by FEMA. On Aug. 7, FEMA announced that President Trump had approved a disaster declaration for Connecticut for Isaias. Hamden can apply for reimbursement for the storm’s costs, and if approved, would get a reimbursement rate of 75 percent.
Cesare said he is hopeful that FEMA will fund cleanup for the tornado as well, though the town has not gotten any word yet.
Meanwhile, public works crews are still out every day picking up brush. Residents have put debris on the curb in front of their homes, and the town started picking it up on Aug. 17. Since then, debris piles have continued to grow, both after the second storm, and as residents continued to bring their brush to the curb.
“It’s a tremendous amount of brush,” Cesare said. He said he does not yet have an estimate of exactly how much material the town will end up clearing, partly because that amount is growing every day.
Cesare said he stopped using overtime as soon as he could after roads had been cleared because he knew the town is in a tough financial position and can’t afford much overtime. Now, crews are out every day on their regular hours picking up brush. He said it might take another month before all the debris is cleared.
When crews pick up brush, they bring it to the transfer station, where it will be ground up and then used to reinforce a berm at the station, or sold to companies looking for material for mulch. The town chose Wecare Denali through a competitive bidding process to do the grinding.
Cesare said it has become harder in recent years to sell ground up debris as mulch because the market is flooded with tree brush from more frequent storms.
Residents should cut brush to a reasonable size — about six feet — to make it easier for crews to pick up. They should also keep storm debris separate from their leaf bags.
“I appreciate the residents’ patience,” Cesare said. “If we haven’t gotten to you, we will get to you.”
