Brookfield gets $1.2 million in FEMA funds to offset massive macroburst cleanup

The Town of Brookfield is getting a big boost from the federal government to cover cleanup costs from last year's devastating macroburst storm.
The storm hit on May 15 and carried winds reaching 115 mph.
Brookfield First Selectman Steve Dunn told News 12 that it “took out every single road in our town.”
“We had to replace 52 miles of telephone poles and transformers,” he said, adding that the town had to remove 72,000 cubic yards of debris.
“We allocated $1.7 million just to do that cleanup,” he said.
Brookfield appealed to the Federal Emergency Management Agency for help. This week, Dunn was relieved to learn FEMA approved the biggest piece of the town's request for debris removal – getting $1.2 million back from the agency.
“A big deal for a town the size of Brookfield – where we have a $20 million budget,” said Dunn.
Dunn says Brookfield was in a good position because the town began keeping track of all the expenses and information beginning the day after the storm.
Brookfield received a check from FEMA over the summer for $7,600 to cover damage to road signs and guardrails. In total, the town expects to get back just over $1.5 million from the federal government.