Malloy Invites FEMA to Set up "Disaster" Office to Assess Foundation Damage to Tolland, Area

HARTFORD, CT — Gov. Dannel P. Malloy on Wednesday said he has submitted a request to the federal Emergency Management Agency, asking the agency to establish a field office in northeastern Connecticut to oversee the crumbling foundation epidemic.

He said FEMA could then conduct a preliminary damage assessment "for the purpose of determining the extent and impact" of the approximately 34,130 homes in the area with foundations that are at risk of crumbling or are already collapsing because of a bad bath of concrete dating back 20 to 30 years.

Malloy said the state believes it is the result of a natural disaster, "according to the result of information obtained over the course of its investigation into this ongoing situation."

In a letter to FEMA Administrator Craig Fugate, the Governor explains that potentially tens of thousands of Connecticut residents are at risk, and while the state government, local governments, and a coalition of insurance companies have been collaborating on a strategy to address this problem, federal assistance and the expertise of FEMA are critical.

“In April 2016, the Lieutenant Governor and I directed the Connecticut Division of Emergency Management and Homeland Security to contact FEMA Region 1 to investigate what assistance the agency could provide these homeowners,” Malloy wrote. “The informal response we received back in an email from the FEMA Regional Administrator was that the crumbling foundation issue did not appear to constitute an emergency or major disaster. Instead, it was suggested that it might be a consumer product defect or construction safety issue, similar in nature to the 2010 Chinese drywall issue in Florida, which resulted in corroded copper and affected air-conditioning and heating units, but was not considered by FEMA to be an emergency or major disaster.

“Since that time of our informal request to FEMA Region 1, we have further scientific information that this potentially catastrophic damage appears to be the result of a natural disaster – specifically the reaction of a naturally occurring mineral, pyrrhotite, to oxygen and water. Pyrrhotite is an iron sulfide mineral, thus exposure to oxygen and water leads to a chemical reaction which results in deterioration, and disastrous results for a home foundation.”

There are not any state or national building standards that regulate the percentage of pyrrhotite allowed in aggregate used for residential or commercial foundations, Malloy said. Malloy argued that the mineral, when exposed to water, is so damaging that it should have not ever been considered for use in residential foundations. Because these building standards do not exist, this problem could easily cost anywhere between $100 million and $1 billion to fully "remediate" the damage.

“While none of us can fully grasp the full weight this disaster has placed upon these homeowners, it is vital that we all come together to assist them,” the Governor wrote.

See here Governor Malloy’s letter to FEMA Administrator Craig Fugate.

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