Sandy Hook victim’s belongings lost in Connecticut floods

Most of Ana Grace Marquez-Greene’s belongings were destroyed when the creek behind her parents’ home left their home underwater, along with all their neighbors.

John Craven

Aug 28, 2024, 9:09 PM

Updated 16 days ago

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There’s a tragic new twist to last weekend’s deadly floods – and it involves a victim of the Sandy Hook Elementary shooting.
Most of Ana Grace Marquez-Greene’s belongings were destroyed when the creek behind her parents’ home left their home underwater, along with all their neighbors.
“The piano that she played ‘Come Thou Almighty King’ on had to be chopped up by a chainsaw, and it currently sits in that dumpster outside,” said Ana Grace’s mother, Nelba Marquez-Greene. “All of my husband’s equipment is gone. Most of my daughter's things are gone. All of our home items are gone. It is significant. We are looking at probably losses of about $100,000 or more.”
Even though Ana Grace’s belongings have national significance, for all the other families on the block, the flooding damage is just as tragic.
“We know we’re not the face of this. There are people who lost lives,” said Nelba Marquez-Greene. “There are people who lost their entire homes in the river.”
Sen. Richard Blumenthal and Rep. Jahana Hayes met with neighbors in her kitchen on Wednesday. Many are in limbo because their subdivision is privately-maintained. “We’re all private roads and it’s a homeowner’s association, so I think they were doing the drainage issues,” said neighbor Katie Martin, who did not have flood insurance.
If Connecticut qualifies for a federal “major emergency,” homeowners could receive up to $85,000 in direct assistance for uninsured losses. Cities and towns can also get money for flood prevention and road repairs. But it’s unclear if Marquez-Greene’s private development qualifies.
“We’ll look into whether private neighborhood associations can be made eligible,” said Blumenthal. Neighbors helped save boxes of Ana Grace’s belongings, but many were swept away. “We know we are not the face of this, but we are a family who has significant damage with no answers right now,” her mother said.
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