Senator Richard Blumenthal visited Birdon’s Portland, Connecticut facility on July 24th, 2023, to see first-hand the impact of the unprecedented flooding along the Connecticut River. The visit brought together Connecticut political and business leaders to help the state respond to the historic flooding and rainfall that has damaged many businesses in the area. The meeting included State Representative Christie Carpino, First Selectman Ryan Curley, Motor Lifeboat (MLB) Program Manager Dennis Hancock and representatives from local businesses Portland Boatworks, Glastonbury Marina and V’s Rolling Stone Wood Fired Pizza.
“The flooding has hit many Connecticut businesses hard,” said MLB Program Manager Dennis Hancock. “It’s important to us that Birdon plays an active role in helping drive the recovery process for this community.”
Heavy rains that swept across the Northeast this July have resulted in substantial flooding in several states and caused extensive damage. While Birdon continues to deal with cleanup and ongoing access issues for customers, we were fortunate that the flooding resulted in no damage to docks or customer vessels, and no impact on the MLB production schedule. Others in the community were more severely impacted: neighboring businesses were affected by lost docks, loss of product and overall business interruption. All businesses recognize the difficulty in accessing flood insurance so it’s vital that local businesses and political leaders work together to find other solutions.
Seeing the impact that this disaster has on local Connecticut business conveys the seriousness of the situation to national leaders like Senator Blumenthal. On Monday, Governor Ned Lamont, alongside Senator Blumenthal, requested a federal disaster declaration that would provide relief funding for businesses impacted by the flooding.