Sandy Damages Nearly 300 Westport Homes, Destroys 7

WESTPORT, Conn. – A total of seven Westport homes in the Compo Mill Cove and Saugatuck Shores neighborhoods have been declared “destroyed” by Hurricane Sandy, Westport Fire Chief and Emergency Management Director Andrew Kingsbury said.

This is one of the many homes in Westport damaged by flooding during Hurricane Sandy.
Photo Credit: *Contributed: Keith Stein*

The front door of this home on Soundview Drive was broken open by floodwaters during Hurricane Sandy.
Photo Credit: *Contributed: Jaime Bairaktaris*

by Vanessa Inzitari

11/09/2012 5:30 p.m.

“These homes are inhabitable,” Kingsbury said Thursday. “Some will most likely have to be torn down or substantially rebuilt.”

In addition to these homes, 260 homes were flooded during the storm and 25 homes were damaged by fallen trees, a message on the town website said.

Representatives from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, known as FEMA, visited Westport Wednesday to tour storm damage. FEMA representatives are expected to return to perform damage assessments on individual homes and businesses.

No cost estimates on storm damage were available.

If your home was damaged during the storm, you may qualify for disaster aid. You can apply for assistance online at www.DisasterAssistance.gov; by calling 1-800-621-3362 (the TTY number is 1-800-462-7585); or from your smartphone or tablet at m.fema.gov. The phone lines are open from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. every day.

When applying for aid, have the following information available: ? Current telephone number and address ? Address and ZIP code of damaged property ? Social Security number ? A general list of damages and losses ? If insured, the name of insurance company, agent and policy number ? Bank routing number (if you want your disaster assistance deposited directly into your account)

If you have additional questions or who would like to speak to someone in person, you can visit a FEMA Mobile Disaster Recovery Center. The closest recovery center is located at the Fairfield Senior Center,100 Mona Terrace. The center will be open from noon to 8 p.m. Monday and from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday and Wednesday.

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