Governor shuts down Wilton flood victim FEMA recovery center

Horseshoe Pond in Wilton is among the many water-related natural beauties in town. But a storm in August wreaked havoc, causing so much damage residents needed federal funds to help rebuild and clean up. Photo by Sibylle Kinley

WILTON – The FEMA disaster recovery center at Our Lady of Fatima Church in Wilton has closed as of Monday, Oct. 14, Gov. Ned Lamont said.

That center had provided federal disaster assistance support to those impacted by the Aug. 18, 2024, severe storm and flooding for the past two weeks. However, the second site Southbury Town Hall (501 Main Street South, Southbury) remains open. Its operating hours are Mondays to Fridays from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., Saturdays from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., and Sundays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

People can apply for assistance by going to DisasterAssistance.gov, downloading the FEMA mobile app, or calling the FEMA Helpline at 1-800-621-3362

The deadline to apply for assistance for damage caused by this storm is Nov. 19.

Meanwhile, Wilton residents are banding together to help out those affected by Hurricane Helene that hit Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia and Tennessee, according to First Selectman Toni Boucher.

“We’d like to thank the Kiwanis Club, in particular, for offering to organize boxes of material goods to ship down to those most affected,” the first selectman stated on the Town of Wilton website. “We have learned, however, that logistics make disseminating donations of clothing, food and other items impossible at the moment. Many communities are still isolated behind non-working roads, and air traffic over the distressed areas is extremely tight with rescue and relief efforts.”

She mentioned that North Carolina officials are asking people who wish to send aid to make monetary donations. “This will allow relief workers to obtain the items needed the most and avoid logistical bottlenecks,” she said.

She warned residents to be careful to look out for fraudulent actors who use this time of upheaval to take advantage of people’s goodwill or vulnerability. She suggested the following trustworthy websites: www.nc.gov/donate, www.ncvoad.org/members and
www.unitedwaync.org

Also, Wilton sent Ashley Momplaisir, who is a member of the Fairfield County Regional Communications Team, to North Carolina for 11 days as part of a mutual-aid request.