(NECN: Brian Burnell, Middletown, Conn.) - In Middletown, Connecticut you can see the Connecticut River is already high and officials across the state with 8 inches or more of rain forecast are keeping an eye on all the rivers and streams anticipating flooding. Its ironic with that in mind that federal emergency management officials are here surveying damage from the last storm."
Fairfield County was his hardest by high wind and heavy rain 2 weeks ago. Trees came down or were uprooted, more than 70 utility poles were toppled and it took days to restore electricity to some. FEMA has crews on the ground here now assessing the damage. The mayor of Bridgeport brought a team to Seaside Park which was hit to the tune of a-million dollars.
Mayor Bill Finch, D-Bridgeport, CT: "It really set us back. None of the other parks have had their routine maintenance done in getting ready for the season because Seaside Park was so heavily damaged. We live across from Beardsley Park and my wife was very upset that we weren't able to pick up the limbs there but this is our most important park. We have 20, 30-thousand people here some days during the summer and we want to make sure everybody's safe."
In addition to looking over municipal damage FEMA has crews looking at small business and private homeowner's damage as well.
Suzanne Novak, FEMA: "We have the public assistance which is what you're talking about here. We also have individual assistance teams which are going out to various communities as well and along with FEMA is the SBA, Small Business Administration. So those folks are looking at individual homes and individual businesses."
Local
Here in Bridgeport there is a certain amount of urgency to get the Seaside Park area squared away because, as one city official reminded everyone, hurricane season is not that far off.
But we have to remember weather does go in cycles and the forecast for the end of the week and into the weekend... sunny, temperatures approaching 80.
