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Super Storm Sandy in Connecticut:
Progress & Challenges After Ten Years

Ten years ago, the reality of stronger storms, climate change, and sea level rise arrived on Connecticut’s shore with Super Storm Sandy. In the intervening decade, local and state agencies, academic institutions, and organizations around the state mobilized more resources and capacity to address the issue of climate change. CIRCA hosted an event at UConn Avery Point's Branford House on October 28, 2022 to mark the Anniversary of this memorable storm and highlight Connecticut’s progress and challenges to address the increasing threats of climate change.

CIRCA's 2022 Grant Awards

Municipal Resilience Grant Program

CIRCA is pleased to announce five 2022 Municipal Resilience Grant Program (MRGP) awards as part of funding in either Track 1 (implementing stormwater authorities) or Track 2 (building a project pipeline). Read about awards to: Fairfield, Housatonic Valley Association, Old Saybrook, Southeastern Connecticut COG, and Stonington.

Research Seed Grants

CIRCA is pleased to announce two new research seed grants to UConn faculty studying wind & wave heights and the benefits of aquatic vegetation for climate mitigation and adaptation in Long Island Sound. Congrats to Drs. Ravishanker and Manning! These awards are intended to support the development of competitive grant proposals while advancing CIRCA’s mission.

Both MRGP and research grant projects will be complete at the end of spring 2023.

CIRCA describes “10 Steps to Municipal Resilience” in a new fact sheet to help CT towns and cities adapt to the growing impacts of climate change. Along with the fact sheet are two additional resources: 1) a website that describes both CIRCA’s and other organizations’ resources and tools to help communities implement the 10 steps and 2) a video featuring Professors Jim O’Donnell and Joe MacDougald who provide informal commentary and added insight for each of the 10 steps.

CIRCA, in coordination with state agencies, regional councils of governments (COGs) and municipalities, has initiated Resilient Connecticut, as part of Phase II of the HUD National Disaster Resilience Competition. Resilient Connecticut focuses on regional resilience and adaptation planning through engagement and vulnerability assessments that inform municipal to regional scale initiatives and pilot projects in the Superstorm Sandy impacted regions of New Haven and Fairfield Counties.

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Based on the scenarios CIRCA recommends that Connecticut plan for the upper end of the range of values projected of sea level rise or up to 20 inches (50cm) of sea level rise higher than the national tidal datum in Long Island Sound by 2050 and that it is likely that sea level will continue to rise after that date. The Institute also recommended that the scenarios be updated at least every 10 years, or more frequently, to incorporate the best available science and new observations.

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The Resilience Roundup is an e-newsletter including local, state, and national news clips on resilience and adaptation as well as resources , events, and funding announcements. The CIRCA Announcements list will send you notices of the latest CIRCA research, events, tools, grants, and engagement opportunities.

To stay in touch on a broad range of floodplain management issues subscribe to, The Torrent, an e-newsletter published by our partners at the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, Bureau of Water Protection and Land Reuse, Land and Water Resources Division.

Municipal Resilience Planning Assistance

This project combined science, policy, and planning at the state and local levels to address the resilience of vulnerable communities along Connecticut’s coast and inland waterways to the growing impacts of climate change. The purpose of the project was to develop tools for municipalities to assess vulnerable infrastructure to inundation by river flow, sea level rise, and storm surge in the next 25-50 years. This work was made possible through a Municipal Resilience Planning Assistance grant from the State of Connecticut Department of Housing CDBG-Disaster Recovery Program and the US Department of Housing and Urban Development

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Connecticut Institute for Resilience & Climate Adaptation (CIRCA)