Washed out roads. Severely damaged homes. Riverbanks eroded. Southbury First Selectman had a lot to choose from when asked to consider the biggest impact the had on his town. But the loss of one damaged building stood out to him.
鈥淥ur library is a cornerstone of our community, as far as education, programming, a place for people to meet, and it鈥檚 been missed,鈥� Manville said. 鈥淲e had anticipated being open in November, but because of the dedicated employees we do have, we are , two months ahead of schedule.鈥�
The accelerated reopening of the Southbury Public Library has become a touchstone for residents a year after floodwaters devastated parts of western 黑料吃瓜网. As Manville tells it, the library鈥檚 return is less about bricks and mortar than about restoring a daily gathering place that anchors civic life. Its on-time return is a bright spot in a recovery that has demanded patience and trade-offs across town.
Rebuilding for the long term
Manville said one lesson from last year is simple: when infrastructure fails, build back correctly. That principle, he said, is guiding Southbury鈥檚 approach to repairs and replacements.
鈥淲e鈥檝e learned that building back correctly is the thing to do,鈥� he said. 鈥淣ow, unfortunately, does not give you money to build back for resiliency.鈥�
To keep projects moving and avoid shortfalls, Manville said the town bonded $8.5 million 鈥渨ith the understanding that we鈥檙e going to approach every project as a long-term investment.鈥�
The first selectman described a recovery complicated by timelines and red tape.
鈥淲e鈥檝e been fighting FEMA: what we think we should do and how we should do it. It takes an extremely long period of time,鈥� he said. Bonding became necessary, he added, because 鈥渨e were running out of time in our budget. And, if we didn鈥檛 borrow the money, we would technically be in a deficit budget.鈥�
Grading government support
Manville voiced frustration with the pace and scope of outside aid.
鈥淚鈥檒l be honest with you, I鈥檓 extremely disappointed with our federal delegates who promised us help [with] the 鈥� and we鈥檝e received nothing other than FEMA,鈥� he said.
At the state level, Southbury pressed its case around the library.
鈥淲e asked the state for money for our library. The initial reaction was, 鈥楴o, you don鈥檛 qualify,鈥欌�� Manville said. He argued the town鈥檚 situation warranted support, pointing to a prior state grant to Hartford after a burst pipe damaged their library. Ultimately, he said, 鈥渙ur state representatives and state senators pushed the state and did , which is covering the 25% that FEMA is not covering in the estimate.鈥�
Lack of flood insurance remains a problem
One of the reasons Manville said state money was needed to fix the library was that the structure was not insured for flood waters.
鈥淲e had no coverage on this,鈥� Manville said. 鈥樷�淧olicies to get flood insurance is [are] pretty difficult. Most people are not going to be able to get flood insurance unless they鈥檙e in a flood zone.鈥�
Lack of flood insurance across Southwestern 黑料吃瓜网 led to a flurry of after the flood. George Bradner of the 黑料吃瓜网 Insurance Department told 黑料吃瓜网 last September that about a quarter of flood losses happen outside of flood zones designated by the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
鈥淚f it rains where you live, you can be prone to flooding,鈥� Bradner said.
Bradner also said there are avenues outside of private insurance to purchase flood insurance.
鈥淭hat's why there's the (National Flood Insurance Program) and FEMA, the National Insurance flood program,鈥� Bradner said. 鈥淧rivate insurers are not 鈥� generally not 鈥� interested in providing flood coverage.鈥�
FEMA also offers online resources to connect with all flood insurance providers.
However, Manville did not sound hopeful that, in terms of flood insurance adoption, Southbury would be any more ready if the floods happened today.
鈥淚 don't think for any of us, it's really changed much,鈥� Manville said.
Readiness and rapid response
Manville said the town refined its emergency playbook with one core insight: make money available fast.
鈥淓very emergency is different, and we always learn something, but the key to an emergency, believe it or not, is making money available for the first steps,鈥� he said.
Southbury鈥檚 charter gives the first selectman immediate access to a set amount for urgent needs, he said, with the Board of Selectmen able to appropriate larger sums quickly. That structure, Manville noted, helps crews deploy equipment 鈥� 鈥渇or chainsaws or whatever we have to do鈥� 鈥� without delay when the next storm hits.
New community focus on the weather
The experience has changed how residents 鈥� and their first selectman 鈥� watch the weather.
鈥淲hen I see a severe weather warning now or thunderstorms or something coming鈥� I鈥檓 always out looking at that sky saying, 鈥楶lease don鈥檛 get darker. Don鈥檛 get green,鈥欌�� Manville said. 鈥淚f I look at the cells coming on the radar, it鈥檚 like, 鈥極K, here comes one big, a real concentrated cell. Please don鈥檛 form another one.鈥� And that鈥檚 what happened during the flood. They kept forming and reforming and reforming and coming up an alley right towards us.鈥�
While he hopes the town never sees a repeat, Manville said the lesson is broader than Southbury鈥檚 borders.
鈥淚t may never happen again, but it could also happen someplace else 鈥� another municipality to the side of us,鈥� he said. 鈥淲e鈥檙e all trying to be good citizens. We need to help each other when called.鈥�
A call to be prepared
Manville credited residents and responders for preventing the worst outcomes.
鈥淲e had no deaths in Southbury, and I鈥檓 thankful for that,鈥� he said.
He urged continued, practical preparedness.
鈥淲e keep telling people, 鈥楶lease be prepared,'" He said. " You should have some water, you should have some basics. You should have some canned food.鈥欌��
And when evacuation orders come, he said, heed them.
鈥淧eople need to know that when they say you should leave, evacuate, you really need to do that,鈥� Manville said. 鈥淚 know there鈥檚 a lot of very sentimental things and when you want to protect your home, but you really need to get out.鈥�
