Continuing rain and extreme weather events, including impacts from hurricanes, are saturating our Connecticut communities. UConn Extension has the following resources to support agricultural producers, consumers, residents, and others affected. You can also sign up for mobile weather alerts by visiting weather.gov and CT Alerts. Anyone in a Disaster area can use the Ready.gov disaster recovery resources.

• Avoid areas with extreme flooding, as little as six inches of water can cause problems, do not drive through flooded water, check weather forecasts, and sign up for mobile alerts.
• Flooding and erosion also cause issues on beach properties. Our Connecticut Sea Grant program has a checklist for coastal hazards.
• There are emergency preparedness resources for all residents available at our CLEAR Adapt CT program. Coastal homeowners and businesses can also use resources specifically made for their situation.

Water, Septic, and Soil Testing

Water testing is also advised in some situations. The UConn Connecticut Institute of Water Resources has information on well testing.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has information for handling private wells and septic systems after a flood:

• Septic Systems after a Flood
• Well Water after a Flood

Soil testing can help determine the extent of damage and any soil remediation needed. Visit our Soil Nutrient Analysis Laboratory for more information.

Food Safety

Flooding sometimes impacts homes and gardens too. We have the following resources to help in those situations:

• Residential gardening (including vegetables) after flooding
• The safety of food and water after a flood (including well/drinking water)
• Fruit and vegetable food safety from flooded areas
• Food safety after a power outage (in the event that a power outage accompanies a flood)

Agricultural Producers

Water and Soil Testing

Water testing is also advised in some situations. Visit our website for more resources on how to get water tested in Connecticut.

Soil testing can help determine the extent of damage and any soil remediation needed. Visit our soil lab online for more information.

Food Safety

UConn Extension is part of the Produce Safety Alliance, and there are guidelines for flooded farms. We also recommend reviewing our farm worker training video series (y en Espanol) as the principles will help guide farm recovery after a flood.

Equine

Equine owners also need to be cognizant of disaster preparation, especially floods, and we have specific recommendations for these situations as well as on preparing for equine disasters.

Municipalities

We have programs to help municipalities with stormwater and flooding, including the MS4 (Municipal Separate Storm Sewer Systems) and the Adapt CT program for climate adaptation, including flooding in coastal and other communities. There are also fact sheets available:

• Flood and Erosion Control Structures
• Responding to Nuisance Flooding of Coastal Highways

Governmental Resources

Many state and national organizations have programs and resources that can help with extreme flooding:

• USDA RMA (Risk Management) Emergency Loss Procedures
• USDA Rural Development Programs
• USDA Disaster Resistance
• USDA NRCS Emergency Watershed Protection

Resources from Other Extension Systems

• Residential Storm Damage Cleanup
• Residential Mold Removal

From the National Healthy Homes Project

Putting People First is the focus so they will protect their health during the cleanup and restoration process.

Thanks to the National Center for Healthy Housing (NCHH) and Enterprise Community Partners, A Field Guide for Flooded Home Cleanup (also available in Spanish) has received a makeover. The widely-used guide was first developed nearly 15 years ago to teach safe mold removal practices in hurricane-damaged homes.

In addition, NCHH has a free online training course to educate homeowners and contractors in mold removal safety.

The Rebuild Healthy Homes Guide was developed to help homeowners, volunteers, and other workers to restore damaged homes in a way that puts people first. It includes how-to methods, tips, and improvement ideas for safe restoration that result in not just a livable dwelling, but a healthy home that offers even more than before.

Ask a Question

Contact a member of our team for more information on any of these topics.